Treize's Revenge
by Arayelle Lynn
Summary: 1xR Someone out there is avenging Treize's death. Will his quest of vengeance starts a new war?
1. Treize's Revenge I: Peace At Last

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. Anyone that is familiar to you belongs to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, just the relief feeling that I finally get the story out of my mind before it haunt me to my insanity!

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place in the TV's Gundam Wing, right after Heero disappeared into outer space and before Noin and Dorothy met at the grave and before Heero reappeared to give Relena her birthday present. That means it's before Endless Waltz.

**TREIZE'S REVENGE: PEACE AT LAST**

By Arayelle Lynn.

Peace.

A word as beautiful as the breaking dawn, as innocent as the laughter of the newly born child. A word that gave hope to those who came out of the war alive. A very powerful word that put even the strongly fighting soldier to rest.

Yeah, right.

It may put other soldiers to rest. It may give hope to those who survived. But it gave nothing but pain to him. The greatest pain that put his soul to the state of chaos and consuming loathing. He could never rest. Never.

Some people say that it is lucky for you to have come out of a war, alive. That you have the chance to rebuild and live your life to the fullest.

But to him being alive was nothing but a curse. He rather die than see them enjoying the peace that resulted from _his_ death.

'Mr. Treize,' he thought, as the image of the handsome and distinguished man he knew and love for years played in his mind. He felt a single tear rolling down his pale cheek. 'I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help.'

He looked back at the mansion he had come from. It had been easy for him to breach the security system. The guards had been complacent and careless because of the so-called peace. They had never thought that someone would break in to assassinate their leader. It took him only a few minutes to kill all the guards and oh, the guard dogs. The rest was easy. Enter the house, find the leader and shoot him in the head. Good thing the newly deceased never had a wife or children. But he seriously doubted that even they could stop him from doing the things he's determined to do.

'Curse you,' he thought, angrily. 'Curse you all for killing him.'

'You thought that you've seen the most horrible things in the war. Well, you haven't seen anything yet. I swear I would find the one who's responsible for Mr. Treize's death even if I have to kill everyone in the universe.'

Then he walked away into the darkening night.

**XXXXXX**

'Peace at last,' Relena Darlian thought as she looked out the window of her limousine. The city of Sicily was as beautiful as ever, despite of the permanent marks that reminded everyone of the previous war. Personally, Relena was glad that many countries were spared from the devastation of the war. Her only wish was that her own kingdom, the Sanc Kingdom, was spared from the war too. But now it lay in ruins, the last time she had been there. And she had been too busy acting as the new Vice Foreign Minister for the newly-formed Earth Sphere Unified Nation to start rebuilding her homeland.

Relena sighed, wondering about the Gundam pilots. What are they doing right now? The moment the war ended, they had all disappear. Quatre, she knew, had return to his father's resource satellite and was resting from the deep wound from his encounter with Dorothy Catalonia. He was also helping his sisters out with the family business. Trowa was still with the circus the last time she heard. He's staying close contact with Quatre like an older brother. And of course, staying very close with a certain Catherine Bloom.

Duo was somewhere in space, still guarding over the colonies from any group of soldiers that were still retaliating, dissatisfied over the outcome of war. And she knew wherever Duo was, Hilde would be there too. Those two had become quite inseparable ever since Hilde was nearly killed.

Wu Fei, she guessed, was in outer space too. Doing the same thing Duo was doing, except guarding the space colonies all alone. But Wu Fei was capable of taking care of himself. He was the only Gundam pilot that never had any close relationship with other people, including his fellow comrades.

And Heero, well, he disappeared after destroying the falling block and when Heero disappeared, he stayed disappeared. But Relena knew he's close by, watching out for her in the shadows. Truth is, having him close by was satisfying enough. She knew Heero and she could never be together. The paths that were laid for them led to two opposite sides. If they can't be together, they could at least keep the thoughts of one another in their hearts.

Thinking about Heero reminded her painfully of her brother, Milliardo. Although reports said that he's dead, Relena felt that he's alive somehow. And she knew Miss Noin felt strongly about it too.

Relena was glad that Miss Noin decided to stay with her, acting as her bodyguard as well as her advisor. She had been very helpful, giving her support and guidance on how to go about her new role as the Vice Foreign Minister. Relena knew without Miss Noin, she would've found it hard to adjust to her new life, and having Noin near was just as having her brother nearby.

Now here she was, in Sicily, attending an invitation of a late New Year ball held to promote peace. The ball itself was two days away but Relena arrived early to watch the people start rebuilding their beloved city. And of course, to escape from the hustle and bustle of the politic officials and the media hounds. Relena felt that she needed a little peace and quiet.

Then something caught her eye. Plastered on the walls and advertisement boards were posters of a famous band called The United. The band was formed in the midst of the war and when the war was over, they rose from the unknown with songs that promote peace.

Truthfully, Relena applauded what they were doing. Their songs gave people hope and good feelings toward the peace she herself was promoting. And the fact that the band members were from both Earth and outer space made people see how unity is the only way for total peace.

"Relena?" a voice said, making her jumped. Relena turned to her companion. "What is it, Miss Noin?" she asked.

Lucrezia Noin looked her over. "You've been quiet. Maybe you should rest as soon as we arrived at the hotel."

Relena smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair to the back of her ear. "I guess I _am_ a little tired from the journey," she said, wearily. "Have you received any news from Sally on the retaliating soldiers in the Asian region?"

"No, but don't worry. Nothing's going to ruin the peace that we're about to have."

Relena smiled at the prospect. But deep in her heart, she felt something bad was going to happen. Something that would change her views on war itself. And that thought itself sent shivers down her spine.

**XXXXXX**

Amy Pierson stretched out her tired arms as she and her band made their way backstage. The crowds were still screaming for more but Amy personally thought that she would drop then and there if their manager tried to persuade them to return to the stage again.

"I'm beat," she said, slumped on the sofa in their dressing room. "What about you guys?"

Jack Fields, the heartthrob of the band, wiped away the sweat on his forehead. He's all smiles. "I'm still kicking," he said and looked over the other three male members of the band. "Did you guys check out the chicks in the front stage?"

"Yeah," said Harry Chung. He winked, mischievously. "I like the one in red."

"What about the one in green?" Paolo Bendetti contributed. "She's hot."

Amy giggled as the three continued to argue which was the hotter-looking fan. For the first time since the war started, and ended, Amy felt very happy. She had lost her family during the war and thought that she would never be happy again. Then she got in the band and the war ended. Although she was the only girl, Amy felt as if she had found a new family. And in her new family, she found that she loved all of them like her own brother, regardless the different backgrounds and attitudes.

Jack was the lead guitarist of the band. He's from southern California. Like Amy, Jack too had lost his family due to the war. But that never stop him from achieving his dream to form a band. He's practically the first member of the band. Aside from his good looks, Amy found Jack's natural leadership ability and cheerful manner quite charming. And she knew Jack love the attentions he got from his girl fans.

Harry was Chinese but was raised in England, which explained his cute accent. He's the keyboard player and was pretty good at it. At first, Harry struck Amy as being stuck up and arrogant. But after they got to know each other, she thought that he's the funniest guy in the whole world.

Paolo, meanwhile, was the drummer. He's actually Jack's friend from childhood before he moved back to Italy. Paolo had a muscular body that sometimes made girls faint. He sometimes could look so tough and intimidating that they don't need a bodyguard at all! But underneath the tough act, Paolo had a tender heart of a new-born puppy. Paolo had a rather large family and all of them, surprisingly enough, were spared from the devastation of war.

And then there's the fifth member of the band, Kyle Rayden. He's the bass player. Aside Jack, Kyle was another reason why girls screamed and fainted whenever they saw him. He had these half-Asian boyish, good looks on his face that even the mothers sighed every time they saw him on TV. And Amy simply loved the way he made his shoulder-length hair, which often fell onto his face. If only he had not been so shy and serious… But Amy knew Kyle even longer than she knew the others. She and Kyle were both from the colonies and she knew the reason why Kyle was so serious and quiet. He too had lost his family. And that saddened Amy because she really cared about him.

As the other three argued on, Amy turned to Kyle. He was holding a card, reading it. A bouquet of flowers was in his other hand. "Who's it from?" asked Amy. Kyle looked at her. "A fan," he simply said and handed her the bouquet. Amy took it and smelt the roses. "Take it," he said. "Roses look better on a girl."

Amy shook her head as she put the flowers in a vase. One day, just one day, she would really love to see him give any interest on girls. True, he had many girl fans but whenever he was surrounded by his fans, he was often polite and courteous. But he kept his distance. "Kyle, someday, you will have to learn to accept your fans' gifts," she remarked.

Kyle gave her a force smile. "Maybe. I just hate to see my room filled with flowers. It'll feel like a funeral home." Amy chuckled at that. Yeah, she now remembered that Kyle hated flowers especially red roses. Maybe they reminded him of his dead family.

Morris, their manager, stormed into the room. "Great show, people. We have fans still screaming for more."

Paolo groaned. "Don't tell us we have to go back there, Morris. We're all really tired and Amy is about to fall off her feet." Morris shook his head, dismissing the thought. "No, I bring good news. We're invited to attend a ball held by the wife of the late Field Marshal Noventa."

"We are?" asked Amy, excitedly. She knew Relena Darlian was going to be there and she longed to meet the incredible young woman. Jack and Paolo gave each other a high-five as Harry thrust his fist to the sky. "Cool."

"We should celebrate," Jack suggested. "I mean a sold-out concert and an invitation to the much talked-about ball. What more could we ask for?"

"What about a new wardrobe? It is a formal function after all." When Amy beamed at the suggestion, Morris winked. "You guys be ready. I'm going to let the guards outside know that we're leaving."

Kyle sighed and slumped on the sofa, massaging his temple. "You guys go. I'll catch a taxi back to the hotel." Concerned, Amy sat beside him taking in his pale features. "Still having that headache?" When Kyle didn't answer, she looked at Morris and Jack. "Maybe we should postpone the celebration."

"Yeah, maybe we shouldn't have made you stand too close to that spotlight, man," said Jack, ever-concerned about those in his band. "Let's go back to the hotel together," he suggested.

"No, you guys go," Kyle said, firmly. Seeing the worry in Amy's eyes, his eyes softened. "I will go back to the hotel, take some aspirins and sleep. I'll be fine in time for the ball."

Paolo put his hand on Amy's shoulder. "Let's go, Amy. I'm sure Kyle doesn't want us to fuss over him." He then added. "Besides, when the fans saw us leaving, they would certainly clear out the backdoor. Then Kyle could easily leave without having to endure the mob."

Reluctantly, Amy left with Paolo, Harry and Morris. Jack stood there for a few more seconds, looking at the younger boy. Kyle met his gaze. "Rest," Jack said, firmly as Kyle nodded. When he was satisfied, Jack left.

**XXXXXX**

"What!"

The assassination of Duke Bordeaux came like a slap to Relena. Sure, the late duke was a member of the Romefeller Foundation, one of those who were responsible for the collapse of the Sanc Kingdom but to be assassinated…

"What happened?" she asked, quietly.

Noin looked at the reports. "It seemed like someone broke into his residence and killed him and his guards. A maid came to work in the morning saw the guard's bodies and quickly informed the authorities."

"You said someone. That means it wasn't the work of the guerillas?"

"No, it wasn't," said Noin. "Though there was no witness, from the investigation conducted, there's an indication that there's only one person involved."

Relena frowned. "But why kill Duke Bordeaux? He had no significant power now."

Noin's eyes lit up as she read on. "Here's a perfectly good reason," she said. "It seemed that the assassin had left a signature card at the scene of the crime. It says, _Treize's Revenge_."

"What?" Relena grabbed the reports from Noin and read them herself. When she was finished, her face was grim. "Looks like someone out there is avenging Treize's death. That means he or she would not stop until all of those who were responsible are dead."

Noin looked at Relena, carefully. "Are you worried about the ball tonight?"

"Yes," said Relena. "The guests are from all sides, the Romefeller, the former Alliance, OZ officers all those who somehow connected to Treize's demise. Mrs. Noventa thought that it'll be a perfect time for us to be in one room and let bygones be bygones. But it would also a perfect place for the assassin to strike next."

"And we have to try and find the whereabouts of Lady Une," she added. Noin was surprised to hear that. "Why? Do you suspect she's behind this?"

Relena looked at the reports again. "Not likely. It seems as if the assassin is somehow closely connected to Treize. Lady Une might have an idea on who it is and maybe she can help us find the assassin before he or she hurt more innocent people."

"Hm… I see the rationale in it," said Noin. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You better prepare for the ball." With that, Noin left the room and took out her cell phone. She dialed the number she knew by heart.

When the person at the other end answered the call, she said. "You've read the news? Good. Listen, Relena thought that the ball tonight might be the next target. What? You reached the same conclusion too?" She was quiet for a moment. "What are you planning to do then?"

"Well, whatever you do, please be careful." Then the line went dead.

**XXXXXX**

The ball was in full swing when Relena arrived. She was displeased at the number of guards that were stationed around the mansion but knew that it was necessary to protect the delegates from the assassin as well as from the guerillas. Relena was very disappointed by the action taken by some of Treize's soldiers. Treize had ended the war by sacrificing himself, to tell them that the war must end with his death. But nearly half of Treize's soldiers weren't satisfied by the outcome of the war and formed their own army to fight for Treize's ideals.

'Why can't they let Treize die in peace?' she thought. 'What do they hope to accomplish?'

And Treize's soldiers were not the only people that reacted badly towards the peace she's initiating. Some of the White Fang soldiers had also refuse to surrender their weapons and they reigned in outer space as renegade soldiers. But Relena believed that the Gundam pilots would be able to keep the colonies from harm.

'If only Milliardo was here. He could make his own men surrender.'

"Relena," a voice said softly, startling her. Relena looked up to see Mrs. Noventa, smiling down on her. "It's really good to see you again," she said.

"Mrs. Noventa, it's been a long time."

Mrs. Noventa smiled. "Come, enjoy the ball. I'll be right back to you as soon as I could find my Sylvia. She had been eager to meet you."

"It'll be an honor to finally meet your granddaughter, Mrs. Noventa."

Then Relena wandered around the ballroom, smiling when some of the people she knew greeted her and made small talks whenever the guests came to her. She danced with some of the delegates, knowing that many eyes were on her. All wondered how a girl so young could be responsible for the peace they're having right now.

When she finally broke herself away from a group of politician, Relena made her way towards the refreshment table. There she met someone her own age, watching the guests as if asking why in the world was she there at all. When Relena was near enough to see her face, she thought the girl looked familiar.

"Hi, there," she said. The girl jumped a little before composing herself. "I'm Relena."

The beautiful girl took her outstretch hand. "I know who you are, Miss Relena. You're my hero," she said, nervously. "My name's Amy. Amy Pierson."

Relena recognized the name immediately. "I know you, too. You belonged to that band, The United." She smiled. "I'm a fan. I really love your songs especially Voice of Peace."

"Really?" said Amy, beaming with pleasure. "Kyle wrote it." She looked around. "I wonder where he is."

"Maybe he's here, somewhere," said Relena, craning her neck to look out for him too. They then surrendered the search for Kyle and began to chat. Relena found herself enjoying Amy's company. Since they're the same age, they could talk about many interesting subjects and Relena didn't have to watch what she said every time. It was as if Amy was a close friend she never had.

Then a boy with long red hair approached them, carrying a glass of punch in each hand. When Amy saw him, she quickly waved him over. "Kyle! I want you to meet someone."

As he walked over to them, Relena couldn't help but notice how good-looking he was. Kyle reached them and handed Amy one of the punches and gave the other to Relena. "You look like you could use one of these," he said, his voice sounded young.

"Kyle, this is Relena Darlian," said Amy.

Kyle nodded and shook her hand. "I know who you are. No one could excite Amy more than the Princess Relena herself," he said, politely.

"Please, call me Relena," she said. "I'm only a princess in my own country." Kyle nodded at that, acknowledging his mistake while Relena was struck by the intensity in his eyes. There's only one person she knew that had that same intensity and lonely look and he was Heero Yuy. And the way Kyle talk, the way he moved, resembled Heero's in many ways. For what seemed like the tenth times in that day, Relena wished Heero was there with her.

"Hey Kyle, who do you have there?" Relena turned to see three more familiar guys approaching. And they all were wearing a teasing look.

Amy frowned at their misconception. "Guys, meet Relena Darlian, Vice Foreign Minister," she announced. The three quickly wiped the teasing smile off their faces and pulled themselves straighter. "And that's Jack, Harry and Paolo."

"Please to meet you all," said Relena, politely. She was a little flattered by their attention. Jack took her outstretched hand and kissed it like the charming gentleman he was. "And it's a pleasure to have finally met you, Miss Relena. You're the heroine of our time."

Relena shook her head. "I'm not really the hero. The soldiers who fought for peace are."

"Nevertheless, it was you who really worked hard for the peace we're having."

"Excuse me, may I have a word?" said a new voice. They all turned to see a woman, behind her stood a man with a video camera. "I'm a reporter covering this event. May I have an interview with you, Miss Relena and The United?"

"Sure," said both parties. Kyle hesitated for a moment until Amy took his arm and said, "Come on, Kyle. It won't do us any harm," she said, knowing that Kyle was never comfortable with cameras. He looked at her for a moment and nodded. "Whatever you want, Amy."

"Thank you," said the woman and signaled her cameraman to start taping. "Here with me is the new band The United, famous for their songs such as Voice of Peace and Wind in the Darkness." She turned to Jack, the unofficial speaker of the group. "So tell us, Jack. How did your band was formed?"

"Well, at first it was only me and Paolo. Then we met Harry and so we thought we should be a trio. Then the war intensified and we had to wait until things cool down. When the war's over, we got to work. That's when we met Amy and Kyle, who were trying to make a name for themselves. When Morris, our manager heard about them, he thought that why not have a group comprised of two parties, Earth and the outer space. It would help with the peace effort and so, here we are." He glanced at Relena and winked.

The reporter nodded, pleased with the answer. She turned to Kyle. "Kyle, we understand that you wrote most of the songs for your band. And they're beautiful and very deep. How did you write such beautiful songs? What is your inspiration?"

Kyle shrugged. "I just write them," he answered, shortly. Amy squeezed his arm, encouraging him to go on. "The words and notes came from my mind. I just write them down whenever they came by. I guess, war can be very inspiring to songwriters like me." Relena was startled to hear the hint of pain in his voice.

The reporter then turned to Amy. "Rumor has it that you and Kyle are involved, is that true?" For a moment, there was silence as Kyle and Amy looked at each other. Then Amy and the other members of the band laughed. Even Kyle smiled genuinely.

"Sorry," Amy gasped as the reporter exchanged an uncertain glance with her cameraman. "No, we're not in love or anything. Kyle's fans would kill me if we were." She paused. "Kyle is like my own brother. We went through a lot when we both lost our parents in the war."

The reporter smiled. "One last question. We heard that Sicily is the last venue for your world tour, where are you heading to next?"

"We don't really know," Jack answered. "But our manager did mention that we might be going to outer space next month." The reporter nodded. "Thank you for your time," she said, turning to the camera. "And with us is the Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian, the sovereign leader of the former World Nation." She then turned to Relena. But before she could ask her a question, there was an explosion and the sky started to fall on them.

Relena felt someone pushed her to the floor and shielded her. For a moment, her ears rang from the explosion. She heard shouts and the sounds of a battle. Then the pressure on her was lifted and she saw Kyle struggled to his feet and Amy, lying next to her. It was then Relena realized that he had pushed both her and Amy onto the floor and shielded them from the debris with his body.

He looked up through the hole in the ceiling and saw mobile suits flying across the dark sky. His fists clenched. "Kyle?" Amy called out, her voice shaken. Kyle glanced at her. "Stay down," he said, firmly. "I'll go see what is happening." He then ran towards the exit.

"Kyle!" Amy cried out.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him out of trouble," Harry volunteered, running off before anyone could stop him.

Then in the midst of dusts and debris, Relena heard someone called her name. From the darkness, Relena saw Noin. "Miss Noin!" she called, rising to her feet. She helped Amy up, noticing that the other members of the band were spared too. Paolo had a cut above his head, Jack meanwhile, was favoring his right arm. "Jack, are you alright?" asked Amy.

Jack smiled, suppressing the pain. "I think it's a little broken. Nothing to worry about."

By then Noin had joined them. "It's the guerillas. They're attacking the mansion."

"What? I thought the war's over," said Paolo, really angry because his best friend was hurt. Relena helped the reporter up as her cameraman kept taping.

Amy frowned. "To the guerillas, the war never ends," she said bitterly, binding Jack's broken arm. It would take time for him to be able to play the guitar again. Relena looked at Noin. "What about the guests? And Mrs. Noventa?"

"There are a few casualties but most guests are being evacuated as we speak. The mansion has a tunnel which will lead us safely out into the woods behind the mansion. We must go now before another stray missile destroys the rest of the mansion," said Noin. Relena nodded and helped Amy with Jack.

"Wait," said Amy. "What about Kyle? He went out to see what is taking place. And Harry's with him."

Noin frowned. "Great. It's a madhouse out there. They could get themselves killed." Relena looked at Noin. "Evacuate the rest of them. I'll go and find them."

"No need!" a voice said. They turned to see Kyle and Harry running towards them. "Come on, we must leave this place. The battle seemed to be heading this way," he said. Noin nodded in acknowledgement and turned to the others. "Come on. The tunnel is this way."

They then began to run. Relena noticed that the ballroom was empty besides them. They continued to run down the stairs into the wine cellar when suddenly the ground shook and more debris fell. Relena shielded her head as the air cleared from the dusts. She looked up and to her horror, she, Amy and Kyle were cut off from the others. The ceiling had fallen down, cutting them off to the exit.

"Relena!" Miss Noin shouted, her voice sounded muffled. They heard a sound of crashing rocks as those from the other side tried to dig through the debris.

"Miss Noin, go!" Relena shouted back. "We'll find another exit." She turned to look at Amy and Kyle. Amy was crying, fearfully while Kyle was looking at the hole in the ceiling angrily. He then looked at Relena. "There's no other way except through the battle. But they've completely surrounded this place," he said.

Relena nodded, acknowledging the situation they're in. If they stay, they'll certainly die by the falling debris and stray missiles. And if they go out into the battlefield…

"We have no choice," she said. "We must go through the battle."

Kyle nodded, agreeing with her suggestion. "Take care of her," he said, handing Amy to her. "I'll go up and see which direction the battle is less intense." He ran up as Relena and Amy climbed the stairs. Relena began to wonder if this was the end for her.

Then they met Kyle halfway up. To her surprise, Relena saw him holding a weapon. "I found a safe opening for us," he said. Then he noticed Relena staring at the rifle in his hand. "There was an enemy soldier making his way down. I confiscated his weapon and thought it'd be better if we go out there with something to protect us," he said. Reluctantly, Relena accepted his rationale as they went up the stairs.

When they finally reached the exit, Relena realized that the situation was serious. The guerillas' black mobile suits were defeating the guarding mobile suits. Relena shook her head in dismay, thinking when will the fighting stops. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look at Kyle.

"The woods is over there. I'll distract the enemy while you and Amy run to the woods. I'll meet you girls there," he said, and began to step into the line of fire. Amy quickly reached for his arm.

"Kyle, please return to me alive," she said, fear for his life. Kyle nodded. "Don't worry about me," he said. Then he stepped out and began to fire. "Now!"

Relena and Amy ran out, dodging from the bullets and taking covers behind the fallen mobile suits and turned-over trucks. Kyle was good to his words. Every time an enemy soldier took an aim at them, he would quickly fire at him, covering their escape. It took Relena and Amy a short time before they finally entered the woods, well-hidden from the enemy. They continued to run to safety where the others were assembling.

**XXXXXX**

He stood there, looking over the battle. A missile landed a few meters away, nearly sweeping him off his feet. But still, he stood on his ground, displeased at what was taking place. He had planned his next assassination carefully but then the guerillas had to show up and made the matter worse by messing up his plan. He hated making a mess. He liked his assassination all nice and tidy. And no witness. This was just too much. There's too many audience and too many people involved.

'Damn you all for getting in my way,' he thought, angrily. 'At least I managed to kill another person who's responsible for his death. And his wife would soon discover that he's not with the others at the safe spot.' With that, he disappeared into the night.

**XXXXXX**

Relena continued running until she realized that Amy was falling behind. She stopped and turned to her new friend who was panting heavily. "I'm sorry. I'm not that good at running," she apologized. Relena shook her head. "No, it's okay. I need to stop too." She looked back at the way they came from, wondering how the battle was going. She hoped that this would be the last but somehow knew it to be a wishful thinking.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by three guerillas, each aiming their weapons at them. "Well, well, well, what we have here? The Vice Foreign Minister herself," one of the men said. "This would be a big break for us. We could demand anything in exchange for her."

Then there was a series of shooting as Relena pushed Amy down to the ground. The three guerillas exchanged fires with an unseen enemy but were all shot down. Relena looked up and saw a figure approaching them from the darkness. For a moment, Relena felt her hopes up. "Heero?" she called out.

"Are you girls alright?" the figure said. Relena realized in disappointment that it was Kyle.

"Kyle!" Amy ran to him. Relena realized then that although Kyle looked younger than Amy, he's certainly the one who provided the strength for both of them. Kyle turned to Relena. "The battle is almost over. The guerillas are retreating. We might as well join the others before any stray guerillas find us."

"You're bleeding!" Amy gasped, holding his arm. Kyle looked at it, as if noticing it for the first time. "It's nothing a few stitches couldn't fix," he said. "Now, come on."

They made their way through the woods and finally saw the others. When Noin saw them, she quickly ran towards Relena, obviously glad to see them alive. "Thank god."

"What about the guests?" asked Relena, noticing a few ambulances were present.

Noin looked at the ambulances. "They're being taken care off." She noticed Kyle's injury. "Maybe you should go and see a paramedic."

Kyle glanced at it. "Later. What about Jack and Paolo?"

"They've been taken to the hospital," said Noin. "Maybe you'd like to join them now."

Kyle was about to decline when Amy pleaded, "Please, Kyle. Listen to what she said." He then frowned and nodded. The pair left as Noin turned to Relena.

"That's one strange boy. He reminds me so much of Heero," Noin commented. Relena smiled. "You think?"

**XXXXXX**

Noin watched Relena's face after she heard about the new development. Then, there was a knock at the door. Noin opened the door to see Amy Pierson standing in the hallway. "Hi," she said, timidly. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, noticing the serious look on Noin and Relena's faces.

"Amy," said Relena, smiling. "No, you weren't interrupting anything. Come on in."

Noin looked at the two girls. "I'll take my leave now. I'm sure you have many things to talk about." Then she closed the door, leaving Relena alone with Amy.

"Here, have a seat," Relena offered. "So, how are you and your band members doing?"

Amy sighed. "Well, Jack's broken arm is in a cast, Paolo has a huge turban around his head and Harry is complaining how his ears would not stop ringing. Overall, we're quite a pitiful bunch especially when the news reached the fans. Our rooms looked like a funeral home." Relena chuckled at that.

"What about Kyle?" asked Relena, remembering her savior.

Amy lowered her voice. "He's resting right now," she said. "When he decided not to stay at the hospital for observation, the doctor made him promise to have a lot of rest. But knowing Kyle, he would've jumped back onto his feet as soon as he escapes the hospital so Morris kinda drugged his drinks."

"And you?"

"Still shaken, but fine," Amy answered. "Since we're not able to play a single instrument, Morris decided to postpone the space tour. We are all going to take a little vacation and we're leaving tonight."

Relena leaned forward. "Where are you planning to go?"

"Well, Paolo managed to convince most of us to spend the vacation with his family. So, I guess that's where we're heading."

"Most of you?" Relena prompted. "Who's not going?"

Amy sighed. "Kyle and Harry. Kyle said he's going to a friend's instead and Harry's chilling out at some place he refused to say. I had hoped we could spend some time together but they've pretty much made up their mind about it."

"I see." They continued to talk about other things before Amy finally excused herself to start packing.

**XXXXXX**

Meanwhile, outside Relena's room, Noin again took out her cell phone and dialed. She waited patiently as the person on the other end picked it up. "Confirm, it was the Treize guerillas' attack last night," she reported.

"So, the assassin didn't show up at all," the other said.

"You didn't let me finish," said Noin. "The assassin was there alright. An ex-Alliance leader was found dead at the scene. His throat was slit and I don't think that was cause by an explosion or a gun. And we also found the signature card which confirmed our suspicion."

"How's Relena taking the news?"

Noin glanced at the door before her. She could vaguely heard Relena and Amy talking. "She's a little shaken but otherwise alright."

"Did she know I'm back in town?"

"Not yet but it won't be long." Noin paused. "Have you found our missing link yet?"

"No, I'm still looking out." The person hesitated. "Take care of her, Noin. She's going to be in a lot of danger soon. What happened last night was too close. We were lucky to have that kid protecting the princess."

"You be careful yourself, Sally. If anything happen to you, I'll not only have to face Relena's wrath but I sure hate to answer to Wu Fei."

Sally laughed. "Don't worry about Wu Fei. As far as he is concerned, the two of us are only comrades at war. And now it's over."

Noin heard the doorknob rattled. "Got to go. I'll talk to you soon," she said quickly and hung up just in time when Relena opened the door to let Amy out. The singer looked at Noin and extended her hand.

"I hope we're able to see each other again, Miss Noin," she said. Noin took her hand. "I just hope when we do, it'll be in a more appropriate circumstance."

Amy glanced at Relena. "See you someday, Relena."

"Bye, Amy."

**XXXXXX**

"Have you heard?" said Duo as soon as Quatre and Trowa's faces appeared on the vidlink. Both were grim. "Yeah, we kinda learned about it a few days ago," said Quatre. "And nice to see you again too, Duo."

Duo dismissed the last remark. "And no one bother to inform me?" he said in dismay. Quatre would have laughed at the expression on his face if the situation hadn't been grave. Or if laughing wouldn't hurt his healing side so bad. "You should learn to watch the news, Duo. Maybe the war's over but you have to keep yourself well-informed," Quatre advised.

"Yeah, yeah," Duo said and then he looked around him cautiously. "Actually, the one who's always watching the news isn't talking to me right now. She said I've been spending too much time with Deathscythe than with her. Can't you believe it?" Then his face was serious. "So, what do you guys propose we should do?"

Trowa leaned forward. "Nothing, at the moment," he said. "We're still needed in outer space. The number of guerillas gathering here is rising every minute."

"Besides," Quatre added. "Miss Noin and Sally are on Earth with Relena. I'm sure they will call us when the situation becomes drastic." He looked at Duo, knowingly. "And you know as well as we do that _he_ is there on Earth."

Duo scratched his head. "Yeah, well, what do we do in the meantime?"

"We wait," Quatre answered. "I have the feeling that things will get hot in outer space in near future."

"Who do you think this assassin is?" Duo wondered.

Quatre shrugged. "No idea, actually. Could be anyone we know or anyone we don't. Right now, the authorities are still working to find out who the assassin is. All we could do here is to just wait and keep our eyes and ears open. It's his move now."

"Right," Duo agreed. Before he signed off, he gave Quatre and Trowa a wink, "Oh, nice to see you two again."

Quatre smiled but when Duo's image disappeared, his face went grim. He had been wondering why the assassin wanted to kill the delegates so much. And what was he trying to prove? As if sensing his thoughts, Trowa put a hand on his shoulder. "Like you told Duo, Quatre, it's his move now. We won't find out about anything until he himself reveals it to us."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. Treize's Revenge II: The Lone Soldier

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. Anyone that is familiar to you belong to the Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, just the relief feeling that I finally get the story out of my mind before it haunt me to my insanity!

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place in the TV's Gundam Wing, right after Heero disappeared into outer space and before Noin and Dorothy met at the grave and before Heero reappeared to give Relena her birthday present. And oh, after Treize's Revenge I: Peace At Last.

**SPECIAL NOTE**: Special thanks to Starling for being such a great help with the grammar and all. You're an angel!!!

**TREIZE'S REVENGE II: THE LONE SOLDIER.**

By Arayelle Lynn.

Relena stared at the list of victims resulted from the assassin's quest for revenge. So far, the families of the dead were all spared from his blind vengeance but Relena was more concerned about the number of victims that seemed to be piling up. In four weeks, the assassin had already killed twelve former Alliance, Romefeller and OZ officers and each of them had been quite close to the late Treize Khushraneda as well as the very same people that had betrayed him in the end.

The assassinations were done in both broad daylight and at night. And they all happened at the victims' residence, their offices as well as in public places. And in each assassination, they failed to even get a glimpse of the assassin's profile. Miss Noin seriously thought that the assassin was a well-trained professional but some delegates, especially those who feared for their lives because of their betrayal to Treize, thought that the assassin might be Treize himself. They seriously thought that he had staged his own death in order to take revenge on all of them. Personally, Relena was inclined to agree with the former. She knew Treize well enough to know that he was not the type who sought vengeance. But the ultimate problem was, they had to find out who the assassin was before he ruin the peace negotiations she was trying to hold.

Thinking about the peace negotiations made Relena sighed in exhaustion. She had worked so hard to make the former leaders see the benefits of having world peace by disarmament but with the assassin lurking around, many of them had taken the drastic measure of recalling their military power. If they start to distrust one another, Relena was sure that another war would break out. Not only that, the guerillas were not helping with the situation either. Their numbers were growing and many military weapon storages were raided, resulting more fighting and more deaths.

And recently, Relena just learned that the world leaders had requested that any future meetings should be postpone until the guerillas and most importantly, the assassin were found and arrested. But Relena can't postpone the meetings. It was impartial for them to discuss new policies in order to maintain peace and officially formed the Earth Sphere Unified Nation she was proposing since the end of the last year's war.

But now, she's running out of ideas on how to make them see the importance of the meetings to be held as soon as possible. And she found herself losing all hope to achieve her dream of a world of total pacifism.

"Relena?" said a voice. She turned to see Noin, standing over her with a tray full of food. "You must eat." She placed the tray before the young woman and sat next to her. "Are you still worried about the assassin and the guerillas?"

When she didn't answer, Noin smiled. "Don't worry about it, Relena. Just leave them to me. I have people all over the world looking into it," she said softly. "You just worry about the peace negotiations, that's all."

"What did Sally has to report?" Relena asked. She found out a day earlier that Sally Po had been all over the world, searching for Lady Une and Dorothy Catalonia. She had been displeased at Noin's secrecy but then agreed that if she had found out sooner, she would've been distracted.

Noin shook her head. "Still nothing at the moment. It was as if both of them have vanished into thin air right after the war. But Sally did promise that she will contact us tomorrow morning."

"Maybe you two should join the Intelligence," Relena commented, half-heartedly. Noin smiled at that. "The leaders want to postpone the meeting this Friday until they feel safe enough to talk," Relena told Noin of the latest news. Noin looked at her, concerned.

"What are you going to do about it?" she prompted, gently.

Relena looked out the window. "Let's go to outer space," she said. Noin raised an eyebrow. "Outer space?" she repeated.

"Yes. The leaders in the outer space are least worry about the assassin since he seemed to be targeting those on Earth. And since we can't make new policies without the attendance from both Earth and the colonies' leaders, the colonists thought that I should go there and make a peace visit." She looked at Noin. "Give talks to peace conference they're planning to do. They thought it would be a good idea for the colonists to learn more about our ideas of total pacifism."

"But what about the guerillas in the outer space?" Miss Noin asked.

Relena looked at her hand. "You said that they're mostly those who served under my brother, Milliardo. I think they're unlikely to pose any threat to me. On the contrary, I seriously think that my appearance in the colonies could actually convince them to stop this useless retaliation."

"Hmm… I see your point," said Noin, thinking deeply. "But I must inform you that we heard rumors that the guerillas fighting for Treize are moving to outer space. I don't think you would be influential enough to stop _them_ from retaliating."

"I must try, Miss Noin," said Relena. "There's no one in this world who could stop this senseless retaliation but me. I must make them understand why the world is in need of peace right now."

Noin nodded and stood. "Alright. I'll go and make some arrangement to take us to outer space." As soon as she exited the room, she took out the cell phone to inform her valuable informant of the new development.

>>>>>>>

He stood over the burning car of the newly dead Admiral Gavison, former OZ soldier, the one who had led the arrest and detention of Treize Khushraneda. He knew this man very well. He had been there when Treize and the late admiral talked about Romefeller's plan to take over the Alliance. And then, he worked for the admiral for a short time before he was sent to another duty.

He could still remember the look on the late admiral's face when he had finally realized who he was. But at that moment, he was standing in the middle of the road, a grenade in his hand. The once proud admiral had tried to put his car into reverse when he saw the grenade but a split second later, he was nothing but in flames.

"I shall say no farewell to you, Gavison because of all the people I've killed, you certainly deserved this fate," he said and walked away as the raindrops started to put out the fire.

'Thirteen,' he thought. 'Where are you pilots? Do I have to kill everyone here until you show up.'

When he got to his temporary apartment, he knew immediately someone was there. Without even switching on the light, he raised his gun towards the wall near the window. "Ease off, soldier. I'm not your enemy," the intruder said.

His eyes watched the intruder skeptically. "You don't trust people much, do you? Like I said, I'm not your enemy," the intruder tried again. But still he kept his gun trained evenly on the intruder. "Are you mute or something?"

"I am yet to determine you as an ally or an enemy," he said, his voice cautious. "And I'm not a soldier anymore."

The intruder raised his hands. "Yeah, well, I kind of guessed that you don't want to continue to be one now."

"Talk," he simply said. The intruder sighed and lowered his hands. "I know you're the one who have been killing the world leaders," he began. He paused to see the other's reaction but the man with the gun stood there, unwavering. But he did notice the finger on the trigger moved slightly. So, he decided to continue quickly. "Don't worry. That is all I know about you. Your real identity and your prior life are all a mystery to us all."

"I am Colonel Hagan, of the Treize guerillas. We want to form an alliance with you. We need you to lead us to the late Treize's ideal future," he said.

"Why me?"

Hagan was startled to hear the question. "Why? Because you obviously are fighting for the late Colonel Treize. Don't you think it would be better if we work together? With your superior training and techniques, we could certainly bring down this false peace."

"Like I told you before. I am not a soldier. I don't have time to waste on the useless battle that you are fighting for. My only task is to avenge those who betrayed Treize Khushraneda."

Hagan felt his anger boiling when he heard the word useless but quickly kept it in check. It was usually not good to lose your temper while standing before a guy with a gun pointing straight at your head. And so, he decided to come clean. "You're right. I'm here not to recruit you, though I was told to try." He paused. "Actually, we want to help you."

"I work alone," he simply said, putting the gun away. But Hagan knew this guy could kill him where he's standing. Which was one reason why he had kept the room dark. He knew that if he saw the face of this assassin, he would not live long enough to say a thing.

"We know you work alone but we also know you need help."

"I don't need any help from you and your guerillas."

"What about information?" he tried again.

The assassin looked at him, sharply. "I know how to get all the information I need, thank you."

"Weapon supply? Money?"

"I know where I can get them."

"Not anymore," he said, for the first time saw a look of surprise flashed in the assassin's cold eyes. But it was over in a few milliseconds. "Not since the last hour, anyway."

The assassin looked interested. "What do you mean?"

"While you were out killing Admiral Gavison, the news came in that the world leaders had decided to put extra precaution in guarding the weapon supplies and decided to control the issue of armaments to unauthorized military troops. One of the regulations they came out with to protect this false peace." He looked at the assassin carefully. "And I know this would effect your quest for revenge immediately."

The assassin folded his arms. "Oh yeah, and how does it _not_ effect you?"

"We have plenty of armory from our last raid," Hagan answered. "And besides, we have an even bigger supply in our new headquarter in outer space." He then smiled at him. "If you work with us, we would be really glad to take you up to outer space with us. The person who really kill Colonel Treize is there."

"The Gundam pilots?"

"More precisely, the Gundam Zero Five. Its pilot was the one who actually killed His Excellency." He then added, "Besides, the outer space now has become the center stage of the political negotiations. We've just learned that Relena Darlian is heading there. And I know more Earth's leaders would be heading to outer space in order to escape your wrath."

The assassin considered this new development for a few seconds. The world seemed to change while he was out on his vengeance quest. "Why do you need me so much?" he asked, carefully.

Hagan was glad to hear him asked that question. It would mean that he was considering their proposal. "You're a hero figure to many of my people. They looked up to you as someone who should lead them. And you understand Colonel Treize's ideal future better than we do. We want you to be _our_ Treize Khushraneda. The one who will lead the new world we're fighting for."

"Sorry," he said. "I have no intention of leading anybody or replacing Mr. Treize. As soon as my vengeance is over, I shall eliminate my existence from this world."

Hagan held up his hand. "Okay, so you won't be our leader. But could you just work alongside us. It is better if we could work together in this." He extended his hand.

"Only if I could maintain my identity a secret. And do things _my_ way."

"Agreed."

They then shook hands. "Alright."

"Now, shall we go to outer space?"

>>>>>>>

She watched as the firemen attempted to put off the fire that was burning the wreck of a car; and the police, trying to maintain the flow of traffic as well as the oncoming crowd. Because it was raining, the fire was put out in a short time but that didn't make the sickening feeling inside her rest.

Again, she arrived too late to stop the assassin. He was good enough to have always stayed two steps ahead of her. But then again, the person who had trained him had been one of the best soldier there was. If only she could find him and stop him from doing more harm to others and to himself.

"Are you alright?" asked her companion, who was standing next to her. She casted a glance at her young companion before returning her gaze on the incident below.

"Fine," she simply said. "Not that I mourn for the admiral's death. He was the worst kind of man and I definitely think that he deserved this kind of ending."

"And our assassin?"

She turned away from the scene. "He's long gone. But let's keep our eyes open," she said. "Oh, tell Simon I want him to tap into the police files once they've done their investigation. I want to know everything they've found in the wreckage. Maybe that would help us to at least narrow the gap between us and the assassin."

"I'll get Simon on it."

As she walked away, she glanced back at the wreckage, regret and sadness played across her face. 'Oh, Little Fire, what have we done to you.'

>>>>>>>

Relena looked out the window as her shuttle entered the landing bay. She had been in outer space for two weeks now. In that duration of time, she'd been attending conferences, meetings and friendly visits to almost all colonies in the outer space. And she was happy to learn that nothing bad had happened to any delegates that were traveling with her. But she knew things will not stay quiet for long.

Her visit to this particular colony was actually personal, for a change. The person who was in charge of the colony had suggested to her and Noin that they should have the coming World Summit there. Noin thought it was the perfect place, strategically as well as in security. But Relena rather scouted over the place first before making any agreement. Not that she doesn't trust this person, in fact, she trusted him with her life. But it's just part of her nature to think things over before making any decision.

"Miss Relena?" Pagan said, interrupted her thoughts. She then realized that they had landed and he and Noin were waiting for her at the exit. "We're here."

"Of course, Pagan," she said, rose to her feet. She walked over the door and down the stairs. At the bottom, stood the leader of the colony. "Long time no see," she said, smiling at him.

The leader smiled back. He was as old as she was but the hardship of war reflected clearly in his beautiful blue eyes. But once he started to speak, his voice reflected a great kindness and innocence rarely found in any people. "It's been long, yes. But it's good to see you again."

"That goes double for me. How are you?"

For a moment, Relena could see fatigue flashed across his face but only to have been replaced by a smile. "Fine. Been busy but fine. I guess you know how it feels to have people depending on you."

Relena nodded. "And you?" he asked, concerned. She raised her eyebrow, telling him that he knew the answer already. "Hello, Miss Noin, Pagan." Relena turned to see Noin and Pagan making their way down.

"Hello, Quatre. You look great."

"Hello, Master Quatre. I see they still couldn't make you wear a _proper_ attire," Pagan said, which made the other three smiled. When Quatre and Heero were staying with them in the Sanc Kingdom, he had been fussing over Quatre's choice of clothes. He thought that someone of Quatre's status should not be dressing like Heero. And he won at one time when Quatre was forced to wear the institute's uniform, which Pagan _personally_ selected. That had nearly threw Heero over the roof when he saw the uniform and he blamed Quatre for it.

Now, well, Quatre is still the same person as he was. Whether or not he's the Winner's family heir.

Quatre chuckled, lightly. "I may own the resource satellite, Pagan but I'm still a Gundam pilot." His face then turned serious. "With all the guerillas' mad activities near Mars, we pilots have been putting extra hours to make sure their useless retaliation would never get near the colonies. So consequently, my sister Erea is still the one who is running the show around here. As far as the colonists are concern, I'm handling all the foreign affairs."

Relena nodded in understanding. True, a handful of people in the military knew who the Gundam pilots were but there were still a lot of people in outer space, especially in the resource satellite who _didn't_ know that their heir was a Gundam pilot. As far as they know, Quatre Winner ran away from home and then returned to help out with his father's business. He gave his sisters full management over the resource satellite because the shareholders thought that he was too young to have full control over the business.

But that was fine with Quatre. He would had more time to stand guard over the colonies with the others. And in addition, he didn't have any interest in taking over the business, never was.

"So, shall we go?" asked Quatre. "My sister, Erea can't wait to meet you."

"And I can't wait to meet her."

>>>>>>>

The crowd roared and was still chanting for more. But Amy and her band members politely said good-bye to their audience, promising to return someday. One or two of the screaming fans even managed to bolt up the stage and threw Jack a hug, nearly toppled him over. Another planted a big kiss on Kyle's lips. A second later, two burly bodyguards tore them off of the two startled boys and pulled the girls away, still screaming and kicking.

As they left the stage, Jack laughed, obviously loving the attention. Kyle, meanwhile, was blushing and was wiping off the feel of the girl's lips on his. He looked as if he was about to throw up. And seeing that expression on his face made Jack laughed even harder. "Boy, you got it bad tonight, alright. I just wish it was me she kissed."

"It's not funny," said Kyle, anger and embarrassment were clearly written on his face. Then, he stormed towards the dressing room as the other four watched his retreating form. "Kyle!" Amy called out.

Jack looked at Paolo and Harry. "What's his problem?" Amy stared at where he disappeared to. "I don't know," she said. "I've never seen him like this before." She started to go after him but Paolo stopped her.

"Leave him alone. I think he needs a little time to cool off," he said. "And besides, you have someone who is waiting for you." Amy turned to see a guy looking at her, nervously. A bouquet of roses in his hand.

"Hello," she said, approaching him. The guy handed her the bouquet. "I'm your greatest fan, Amy. I love to hear you sing," he blurted and then winced as the words tumbled out. Amy smiled to give him a little comfort. She then felt a tap on her shoulder as Harry handed her a photo of them and a pen.

She looked at the nervous guy. "So, what's your name?"

"Martin," he blurted. Amy signed the photo and handed it to him. "Here you go. Thanks for coming," she said. Martin smiled happily and started to retreat, almost knocking over a spare speaker. Amy stifled a laugh and called out to him. "And thanks for the roses." But the guy had already started running away, obviously mortified over his sudden klutziness.

Amy and the others resumed their journey to the dressing room. As Jack was about to push it open, Kyle pulled the door, fully dressed. "Where are you going?" asked Jack, seeing him walking down the hallway. Kyle glanced at them before answering, "I need some fresh air. I'll meet you guys at the hotel."

Jack was about to stop him but Paolo held him back. "Let him be, Jack. We're on a colony station. He's not going anywhere."

"Right, whatever."

Then, as they entered the room, Harry grabbed his old duffel bag. The one he usually brought with him like a lucky charm. He waved at them. "Speaking of bailing, I got to bail too. Catch ya guys later."

He left, leaving the others stared off after him. "What's with those two? Do they always have to bail out and not tell us where they're heading?" Jack grumbled while Paolo shrugged. Amy's thoughts were on the two most private member of their group.

>>>>>>>

It hadn't been long when the nightmare started again. And this time, to Relena's fear, it happened in the outer space. On a colony near the Winner's resource satellite. A former minister of the Romefeller Foundation was killed in his hotel room after arriving from Earth. The reports still lack the description and clues to identify the assassin.

"So, it's starting again," she said quietly, breaking the silence. Both Quatre and Noin looked at Relena, concerned. "It's my fault. My being here brought the assassin to outer space."

"No, you can't say that," said Quatre. "When we heard about the assassin killing off the former leaders, we should have guess that sooner or later, he would come to outer space." He paused. "Only this is a lot better."

Relena looked up, sharply. "A lot better? How?" she demanded. 'How he could say that? People are dying here.'

"I agree with Quatre," said another voice. Trowa had arrived at the Winner's two days ago, helping him out with the guerillas attack nearby. He was planning to return to the circus that day when they heard about the former minister's death.

"Well?" asked Relena for an explanation.

Trowa kept his arms folded. "Well, since he has started to make his moves in outer space, we Gundam pilots could easily start our own hunt. From what I heard about this guy, he is a soldier. So, it would take a soldier to find another soldier."

"So, you seriously think that you could find this guy?" asked Noin. Quatre nodded. "I have no doubt about it. Besides, I've already got Duo looking into that particular matter right now. We were trained to protect the outer space. Now that he has infiltrate our domain, we will not let him off that easily."

>>>>>>>

When Heero Yuy heard of the latest development, he decided to leave the Winner's resource satellite, knowing that Relena is safe where she was. When he first heard of the assassin, he had been trying to track him down. But the assassin was good enough to have stayed a step ahead. And when Relena was almost killed in Sicily, he opted to stay close to her, knowing that sooner or later, the assassin would come after her. But now that Relena was with the people he trusted, he decided it's time for him to resume his hunt. And kill him.

So, he prepped his Gundam, Wing Zero and slipped into his black flight suit. As he piloted Wing Zero out of the hangar, he saw two figures watched him leave. Noin and Quatre. Noin tapped the cell phone in her hand, signaling that she would stay in touch while Quatre gave him a salute, wishing him luck. Heero saluted him back, thanking the two of them for the information and resources. And for the secrecy.

Now, to find the loose cannon and destroy him.

>>>>>>>

Amy watched as the clown leapt over the charging lion and stood on it. The audience sucked in their breaths and then they all applauded as the brave clown jumped back after executing a triple somersault, landing on his feet. Then, he took a bow as a young lady walked to the center of the ring. Her hand was holding a set of daggers. The clown then leaned against a target board as she executed breath-taking throwing that made Amy grip for Jack's arm.

"Ease off the arm, Amy. I need it to play the guitar," he jokingly said. Amy stuck out her tongue and continued to watch. "Wow, the girl's amazing!" he commented.

"Yeah, I agree," Harry added. Amy quickly shushed them. But Harry continued exchanging jokes with Paolo who laughed and so Amy forced herself to ignore them.

Since they'd started their space tour a few weeks ago, they'd little time for recreation. Now, for the first time, Morris seemed to be in a good enough mood to grant them a day off. And so, they decided to go to the circus they'd heard so much. Now, they finally understand why the circus act was famous during the war and now, after.

Amy then glanced at Kyle, who seemed to be watching the clown closely. He was least disturb at the possibility that the girl with the knives might miss and actually hit the clown. "He's good," she heard him whispered.

"Kyle?" she said. Kyle looked at her and raised his eyebrow, as if just broken from a trance. He looked at her, sheepishly. "Let's go and see them after the show," he suggested. "I've always wanted to meet people from the circus."

Happy that he finally showed interest at something, she nodded. "Yeah, why not?"

Trowa Barton was feeding the lion when he heard some voices. Catherine seemed to be talking to some people. And by the sound of it, she seemed to be as excited as they were. He was about to turn and see the newcomer when suddenly, the light was cut off from him. He stood and turned to see a silhouette of a boy standing before him.

"Hi, I'm Kyle," he said, extending his hand. Though he seemed young, his grip was strong and firm. "I'm Trowa. You're familiar," he said.

"That's because they're famous entertainers," said Catherine, walking over to them with the other four. "Trowa, this is Amy, Jack, Harry and Paolo. They're The United."

"Musicians, right?" Trowa guessed. "I like your songs. There's something meaningful in them."

"Kyle wrote them," said Amy. Trowa glanced at the boy. "You're that clown, right?" She clapped her hand. "You were amazing. I love your act."

"Funny. People always said the high wire act was amazing."

"_You_ were amazing," said Kyle, as if emphasizing it. Amy nodded. "You should listen to Kyle. He never gave compliment unless he means it."

Trowa turned to Kyle. "In that case, thank you." Then he added. "And your songs are amazing too. Like you, I rarely give any compliment."

"Then coming from you, it's the highest compliment."

>>>>>>>

"Another assassination," Noin reported. It was the third one in space and still they had found nothing that could tell them about the assassin. Even Duo's investigation on the first incident came up empty. Noin silently hope that Heero was doing a lot better wherever he was.

Quatre reread the news report and the data he and Duo collected. Since Trowa had returned to the circus, Duo had been hanging around the resource satellite to help him out. And with Duo, came Hilde who seemed to be a lot of help in giving them moral support.

"And we still have no lead," said Noin, frustrated. "Who is this Treize's Revenge, anyway?"

Suddenly, the door to their conference room opened. And they saw Erea standing in the hallway. "Quatre, I think you and your friends have a visitor," she said and stepped aside. A young woman with honey blond hair appeared at the doorway. Noin rose to her feet.

"Sally! What's wrong? Why haven't you contacted us?" she asked as Sally stepped in. Quatre looked at his sister as she winked. "I know. I'll have another room prepared." She then left.

"I've got news for a change," said Sally, ignoring Noin's questions. "I want to show it to you guys personally. Guess who have been lurking around the crime scenes," she said, producing some pictures for them to see.

"Lady Une!"

"And Dorothy!"

Sally nodded. "Yup. They appeared in every crime scene."

"So, what does this mean?" asked Hilde.

"It means that the two are involve in this somehow," said Relena. "If they're not with the assassin, it means that they're looking for him too."

"And if they're looking for him, it means that they at least have an idea who he is," Duo finished the thought for her. "You were right all along, Relena."

Quatre looked at Noin. "We must find them. If what we saw in the photos are correct, that means they're in outer space right now. I'm sure if we work together, we can find this assassin and out a stop to him."

"I'm on it," said Noin, exiting the room. She nearly collided with Pagan who was bringing in some refreshments. "Sorry, Pagan."

Pagan looked at Sally. "I heard from Miss Erea that we have a visitor. So I thought I bring in something."

"Thanks, Pagan. But you shouldn't have," said Quatre. "You're a guest here, remember?"

"Yes, but I figured you'd be too busy to act as a host."

"Uh, right," said Quatre, feeling a little guilty. Then he went over to Pagan and put a hand on the older man's arm. He looked at him in the eye. "Thanks again, Pagan," he said, appreciatively.

Then, he started to leave. "Where are you going?" asked Hilde.

Quatre glanced back. "Uh, I'm going to contact the others," he said, looking pointedly at Duo. The Deathscythe pilot immediately understood the message. And exactly whom he wanted to contact and why he didn't want to do it there. "Well, hurry back or you'll be seeing a plate minus the cookies."

"Be right back."

>>>>>>>

Heero looked around the room carefully. The third victim was killed in his hotel room too. So, Heero posed himself as a hotel employee and snuck in, which had been pretty easy since he had been doing that his whole life, assuming identities that were not his own. He never wondered who he really was or what his real name. He only registered the name Dr. J had provided him with the first time he went into the mission.

He looked around, his eyes wondered for any clues or abnormality that could help him find the assassin. Truthfully, he had nearly caught up with the assassin in the last incident. But even then he was too late to stop him or save the former OZ commander. All he saw was a figure in black jumping from a building to another as if he was a cat. They exchanged shots when he saw him. But when Heero almost caught up with him, an explosion occurred, its blast threw Heero unconscious.

He then located him on this colony but only to discover that he was too late. The former Alliance major was killed and the assassin was long gone. 'He's good, alright. But he's bound to make a mistake sooner or later,' he thought.

Suddenly, his eyes caught on something he considered suspicious enough. He gently picked it up and held it to the light. "This could be very helpful," he said to himself and dropped it, knowing that he had enough clue.

>>>>>>>

The news came just as they were about to have dinner. Quatre ran into the dining hall where they were all waiting for him. "Duo, there's a report of an active combat in Sector D90. Treize's guerilla group is engaging combat with the White Fang's guerillas."

"Sector D90," Duo repeated. "That's near Trowa's area."

"Yeah, he's meeting us there. Come on!" Then the two boys ran out of the dining hall while Relena, Noin, Sally and Hilde watched them leave. Then Hilde sighed and sat down. "We better settle down and start with dinner. Knowing a Gundam pilot, they're going to be at it for quite some time."

Duo cried as a stray missile connected with his Deathscythe. He then swung his scythe at the mobile doll that fired at him and watched it exploded. He turned around to face another troop of the guerillas' mobile suits.

When he and Quatre had reached the combat point, the battle was already in full swing, with Trowa in the middle of it all. As the guerillas from the Treize faction were shooting at the White Fang guerillas, some of them were even working together to try and destroy the Gundam Heavyarms, one of the reason of their last year's defeat. And from Duo's perspective, Trowa was definitely having his hands full until he and Quatre joined in the battle.

Deathscythe shook violently as he missed another shot. Duo cursed. "Man, when are they going to run out of that damn thing." He cursed again as another shot hit Deathscythe.

"Hey, ease off the words, Duo. I didn't know you could even think of those words," he heard Quatre said through the communicator. "Trowa, incoming guerillas at nine o'clock."

"Man!" Duo hissed as he swung his scythe. "What is going on here? Are they planning to make this their last stand?"

"I don't know," said Trowa. "This seems to be the biggest combat yet."

Suddenly a mobile doll behind him exploded. "Maybe we should make this a reunion," a new voice said. From the darkness of space, a green Gundam suit appeared.

"Wu Fei!" Duo cried out. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Nice to see you again, Wu Fei," said Quatre.

Then a mobile suit exploded, near Quatre. "Watch your back, Quatre," someone warned. Quatre turned to see…

"Heero!"

"Great, this _is_ like a class reunion, Gundam style," Duo said, mischievously.

Heero faced the incoming guerillas. "Well, let's make sure it won't be our last."

And for the first time since they'd all taken on their separate ways, they began to attack as a team once again. It took them a short time to convince the guerillas that today was not a good day to engage a battle with the Gundams. They retreated to their respective secret bases. Duo and Wufei moved to pursue them when Heero stopped them. "Let them leave. We can get them later."

For a moment, the five Gundam pilot stood there facing each other. Each was reminiscing the last time they worked together. "Hey, all," said Duo in his usual easy-manner way.

Heero ignored him and turned to Quatre. "Is there any place we could all talk?" he asked. Quatre blinked. "You don't want to come back to my place?" When there was no answer, Trowa said quietly, "Follow me. I have some place we could talk easily."

They followed Trowa into the colony nearby. From the hangar, they were led into a series of hallways and corridors until they reached a dark room. To their surprise, Sally and Noin were waiting for them there. "How did you get here?" asked Duo, curiously.

"I called them in," Heero answered. But he was looking at Trowa who shrugged. "I saw their ship approaching and know something's up. So, I sent them the address," he answered Heero's questioning look.

"We escaped from Relena easily. She thought we were still in the resource satellite," said Sally. Then their faces were grim. "There was another assassination. It happened an hour ago," Noin told them.

"What!" Quatre cried. Then he was frowning. "Is it me or did the assassin wait until the fireworks started before he killed the victim?"

Heero folded his arms. "It's not you, alright," he said. "I've seen enough to tell me that our assassin here have been killing the world leaders when the guerillas started to attack the colonies."

"But how? Why?"

Trowa looked at Heero. "Was he using the guerillas to distract us?"

"Exactly or more precisely to distract the authorities," Heero said. He looked at his comrades. "Remember the attack on Sector G27?"

Wu Fei nodded. "Of course. I was there engaged in a battle with the guerillas."

"Well, I was at a nearby colony. I tracked him down and almost caught up to him."

Sally leaned forward. "You did? What happened?"

"He got away," Heero said. When he didn't elaborate, they decided not to ask any further. Noin noticed a small bump nearly visible on his temple.

Then Quatre's eyes lit up. "There's another thought. What if this assassin is working with the guerillas?"

"I don't know," said Duo. "If I were an assassin on a vengeance rampage, I would want to work alone. Makes the job easier."

"Yes but what if the guerillas, neither one, is helping him out by staging the attack. And providing him with armaments. I mean, since the world leaders has issue an order to control the flow of weapon issues, he would certainly need to get them from somewhere. Where better to get them than from the guerillas who have more than enough?"

"You have a point there," said Duo, surrendering. Heero nodded in acceptance. Quatre's argument seemed valid enough. Trowa looked at Quatre proudly. His eyes saying, 'Good theory.'

Wu Fei turned to Noin and Sally, noticing that Noin was holding a manila folder in her hand. "Are you going to tell us about your information?" he asked. Noin nodded and placed the contents of the folder on a table. "I thought it was time for us to compare notes."

And for some time they worked on what all of them discovered, including the news about Lady Une's involvement. Trowa spared a glance at Quatre when Sally mentioned Dorothy and saw his surrogate little brother stared back at him. They still had a funny feeling over the war-thirsty girl. Then, Noin finished the discussion by telling them that she had people looking out for Lady Une and Dorothy too.

"Good call," said Heero.

Noin gritted her teeth. "It would be a lot better if my people could at least get a description of the assassin." She turned to Heero. "Do you notice anything about him?"

"Red," he simply said. The others looked at him, curiously. "When he killed the Alliance major after our 'little encounter', I went to the crime scene to investigate myself. I found something that could help narrow down our search."

The others waited for him to continue. Heero looked at them. "He has red hair."

"Hmm… that is useful," said Noin. "Red heads are rare to find."

"And we could do a cross reference search, say, check every public transportation and find anyone with red hair who had been near the crime sites. From there, we could investigate anyone who has the potential to be the assassin," Quatre suggested.

Noin nodded. "That could help. It's better that than nothing. I'll get my people on it."

"In the meantime, I think we should keep in touch with each other," said Heero. "If anyone find anything, we meet here."

Noin looked at Heero and sighed. 'I guess he's still hiding from Relena.' But she nodded anyway. "Alright."

>>>>>>>

Amy made her way along the hallway silently. She was a little bored after a day full of interviews and appearances that morning, now they were all taking a little break before having to perform that night. Jack and Paolo were doing what guys do best, playing video games and insulting each other.

And Harry, well, he disappeared right after they returned to the hotel. Amy had stopped by his room earlier but he wasn't there. And since Harry shared his room with no one, Amy couldn't ask anyone where he went. So, she opted to find another member of the group who also had his own room, expecting it to be empty.

For once, Amy found him in his room. He was strumming his guitar and humming to himself. Amy listened for a moment, watching him wrote something on a piece of paper and then continued to strum the guitar. At that moment, Amy had never seen Kyle looked so calm and relaxed.

Amy shifted her feet but only to make a slight noise. She quickly stood still, hoping that she didn't broke the tranquility of the room but it was too late. Kyle was looking at her, his calm and relax demeanor all gone. He waited for her to say something.

"Hi," she said, entering the room. "That was beautiful. You're working on a new song already?"

"Actually, this is the seventh one. I finished six while we arrived in outer space."

She stepped closer. "Do you mind?" she gestured toward the piece of paper. Kyle handed it to her and she read it. So far, the lyrics were only five lines long. When she was finished, she looked at him. "This is so sad."

"It's not finish yet," he said. He took the paper from her and folded it. "I've been working on this one since last week but I can't seem to get it finished."

Amy threw her arms around his neck from his back. "Don't worry. You'll finish it soon. Just give yourself a little time."

For a while, they stayed like that. Then Kyle said something that surprised Amy. "This would be my last song, Amy."

"What? What do you mean?" She tried to face Kyle but he looked away

"I don't think I will be here long enough to see our second album completed." He looked at her. "I won't be here any more."

Amy frowned, couldn't understand what he's saying. "Wha… what's wrong with you?" she asked, anxiously. Then she put her hand on his forehead. It was warm. "You're not well. It's those headaches, right? There's something wrong with you." She had been worried about Kyle's never-ending headaches, thinking that something was wrong. But when he seemed to have stop having them, she thought it was over. Now…

He removed her hand. "Nothing's wrong with me, Amy." He stood and placed his guitar on the table. "Let's drop this, okay?" he said, slipped on his jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"Some place," he said. "Alone."

Then he was gone, leaving her alone to digest what had just transpired.

>>>>>>>

He walked, letting the cool air brushed his face. The city in the colony was as busy as ever, which was a common thing since it's the rushing hour. The colonists, like the people on Earth no longer have any reason to fear for their life since peace was restored. They also have nothing to fear from the guerillas because the Gundam pilots were working their way through to maintain the peace in outer space.

As he thought about the Gundam pilots, he was reminded of the person that he met in Sector G27 where he killed the old former Alliance officer. At first he didn't have any idea of who he was and so he ran, fearing that he would be caught before reaching his goal. But now, he realized that that guy was one of them. One of the Gundam pilots. And he was sorry that he had ran away from him.

'I have not much time,' he thought. 'I must meet these Gundam pilots and prepare for my final showdown.' He then looked at the big screen on the above building. 'It's time to go for the heart.'

He stared at the image. 'It's time to go after Relena Darlian.'

>>>>>>>

He walked over to the reception area and asked if there's any message for him. The receptionist only handed him a yellow manila envelope. Curiously, he opened it and saw a small note. He read,

_'We want to see you, Treize's Revenge. Rui's Lounge. Room 5'_

He quickly destroyed the note and exited the hotel once more. He walked for a few blocks and found himself standing over a small motel. He entered and searched for Room 5. When he found it, he knocked. Someone opened the door and pulled him inside.

The room was dark but he could tell a man was there. "So, you found out who I am after all," he said, impressed. Hagan looked at him, carefully.

"Sorry, we have to know all about you before we could trust you fully."

He raised his eyebrow. "So, we didn't trust each other." But before Hagan could counter-argue, he continued. "No matter. My end is near anyway. I don't care about my identity anymore."

"He wants to talk to you," said Hagan.

"That someone you mentioned before?"

"Yes. He was the one who discovered who you are."

"Alright. Lead on."

Hagan turned to him. "Oh, by the way. Good cover. We didn't really suspect who you were until the Admiral recognized you. Don't worry, besides the Admiral and I, no one knows who you really are. And I can guarantee that no one ever will."

He folded his arms. "Really. How did he recognized me?"

"Because he was there when Treize trained you, though he still don't know what so special about you. What makes Treize so interested in training you personally."

He could detect a question in Hagan's statement but still he kept his real identity. "I'd like to keep that secret to my grave, thank you. Besides, it's irrelevant now." Then he whispered to himself. "Nothing is, except revenge."

>>>>>>>

"No! I will attend the charity dinner as planned. Most world leaders are going to be there and I'm expected to say something about the policy meeting we are planning to hold," Relena insisted.

"But it's too dangerous to have that dinner in the first place," Duo argued. "The assassin is still on the loose."

Relena met his eyes evenly. "I will not let an assassin postpone the peace talks any longer. If we don't meet right now, sooner or later, the fear that the world representatives have will tear Earth's nations and the colonies apart. And then we will never have peace. And the Earth Sphere Unified Nation would be just an empty promise"

Duo thrust his fist to the air angrily. "Man! Can't _anyone_ get through that thick skull of hers?" He looked at Quatre, scowling. "Why aren't you helping me out?"

"I know better than to argue with a politician," he said, quietly.

"So you rather face an angry and trigger-happy guy, huh?"

Knowing whom Duo was referring to, Quatre nodded. "At least _he_ didn't give me a headache."

"Man! He's going to flip his lid over this," Duo said softly but there's anger in his voice. Unlike Quatre, he had seen the cold and murderous look in Heero's eyes the first time they met. After that incident, Duo promised to himself that he would never stand at the wrong side of Heero's gun. But now, he might had to consider wearing bulletproof vest before meeting the guy. All because his _girlfriend _decided not to listen to reason!

He then looked at Relena. "Fine! Do what you want to do. Just remember that it would be your fault if I ended up dead."

"Nobody ask you to protect me," she shot back but a small smile played at the corner of her lips.

"Unfortunately, I'm not referring to that," he said softly. Quatre walked over to the exit.

"Come on, Duo. We have to talk," he said, reminding him of their secret meeting. Noin and Sally were waiting for them at the hangar. With an exasperated sigh, Duo left.

"You tell him," he hissed as Quatre shrugged, a smile threatened to form on his lips.

>>>>>>>

Duo waited to see Heero's reaction as Quatre finished telling him about Relena's decision. But to his surprise, Heero just folded his arms. "So, she's tired of waiting, huh?"

"She seemed to be," said Quatre.

"That's fine," he said.

"What! That's it?" Duo protested but Heero ignored him and continued. "We could use this to our advantage. We could wait until the assassin show himself up."

Wu Fei nodded. "Good plan. With five of us watching, we would surely spot him easily."

Trowa turned to Noin and Sally. "What about the cross reference? Found any possible suspect?"

"At first, yes," said Noin. "But as we did further checks on them, some were not even in outer space now. And the others, well, we ran a further investigations and found that they, say, don't match our criteria as an assassin."

"Hmm… but I suggest we keep an eye on them anyway," said Wu Fei. "An assassin could also have a normal life to act as his cover."

"It's being done," said Sally.

Heero turned to Noin. "Can I see that cross reference list?" Noin handed him the list. A piece of paper fell to the floor. He picked it up. "What's this?"

Noin took the paper. "Oh, it's a picture Amy Pierson sent to Relena."

"Amy Pierson?"

"Yeah. She's the singer for The United. A band we met in Sicily," she said as Heero looked at the black and white picture of five young people. "Relena kinda became friends with them ever since one of them saved her during that guerilla attack. And I heard that they are performing at the charity dinner."

"Really?" Heero voiced, frowning. "Are they here in outer space?"

Noin nodded. "Of course. The United have been on tour since last year. Their songs promote peace and helped Relena a lot with her peace talks." She then looked at him, alert. "What? You don't think one of them could be the assassin, do you?"

"Do any of them has red hair?"

"Two. Harry and Kyle. But Harry is the sweetest guy in the group. He can't be the assassin," she said. "And Kyle saved Relena. Why would he do that if he wants to kill her. It doesn't make any sense."

Heero looked at her. "Nothing makes any sense. And even the sweetest person could end up as an assassin given the right reason. But for Relena's sake and for the peace, I'm willing to suspect anybody."

"I've met them too," Trowa said as the others turned their attention to him. "From what I've seen, this Kyle might be a little cold but he seemed okay enough. And the other one, Harry, he's a little peculiar but I feel he's hiding something."

"But what if the assassin had on a red wig when he went out to kill?" Noin suggested.

He looked at her. "Like I said, I'm willing to suspect anybody."

"Still," Quatre interrupted them. "Our best bet is to keep watch during the dinner. And for that we need to study the room structure thoroughly."

"I'll get you guys the blue prints as soon as possible."

"What about the search for Lady Une?" asked Heero.

Sally sighed. "Still continuing. They're good at keeping themselves invisible."

"Don't worry," said Quatre. "I have a feeling that we'll be meeting Lady Une and Dorothy soon." He felt Trowa threw him a glance, knowing there's a question playing in his mind. But even he had no answer to Trowa's silent question.

"Alright, then. Let's get back to work."

>>>>>>>

"We just received word that there will be a charity dinner held in colony 257. And most world leaders would be attending, including Miss Relena herself."

Lady Une listened, looking at the image on the screen. "That means, the Gundam pilots would be there as well, protecting her."

"What do you want to do about it?"

"Be there and wait for the assassin. The dinner would be the perfect target."

Dorothy looked at her carefully. "Are we still going to remain invisible."

"Yes. We can't let the assassin know we're looking for him too. He knows me too well," said Lady Une. "We have to let him think the Gundam pilots are the only ones looking for him."

"Alright," said Dorothy. She looked at Lady Une who returned her gaze on the screen. "I'll leave you now."

Lady Une kept her eyes on the image before her. "Little Fire, at last I found you."

>>>>>>>

Jack and Paolo were chatting, each were excited that they would be performing before the world leaders in the charity dinner. Amy was helping Harry with his tux, he seemed to be more nervous than ever, as if waiting for something to happen. Amy tried to calm him down but that only made him more irritated. So, she kept her mouth shut and spared a glance at Kyle. He's in the bathroom but Amy could see his reflection clearly in the mirror. He was swallowing some pills and gulped a glass of water. He then turned to the mirror and straightened his tux, before exiting the bathroom.

Since the last time they talked, Kyle had been avoiding her. And Amy didn't have the nerve to raise the subject, fearing he might draw further away from her. But now, for the first time, Amy saw him joking with Jack and Paolo as if they were old pals. At first, the two were surprised but then they began to accept his 'good moods'.

"Come on, girl and boys. Time to go," said Morris, entering the room. He quickly ushered Amy and Harry out as Jack, Paolo and Kyle ran out, laughing over a joke Paolo told. But for a moment there, Amy saw a strange look crossed over Kyle's eyes as he stepped out of the room. And then it was gone.

>>>>>>>

He watched as Relena Peacecraft or Darlian, at the moment, walked over to the podium. He saw her ever loyal bodyguard and advisor, Noin, tensed as if expecting trouble. But he knew it's not the perfect time to strike. So, he relaxed and listened as the girl of his age talked about peace and her hopes for unity. He knew this would be the last speech he's going to hear, if everything went smoothly.

As she talked on, Noin looked around, looking for anyone who was pointing a rifle at Relena or at any world leaders. Sally was around here, secretly working with the security people as the Gundam pilots were all watching over things incognito. She waited and waited, ready to spring into action but still there was none. She looked over to The United's table, particularly on Harry and Kyle. But she only saw a nervous Harry and an attentive Kyle, who listened to Relena's speech word by word.

Then, Relena finished her speech and it was their turn to take the stage and perform. To Amy's surprise, Kyle took the lead guitar as Jack took the bass. Somehow, they must have planned this earlier but she knew as well as the others knew that Kyle was capable of being the lead guitarist. He was as good as Jack was but he chose to play the bass instead. And Jack seemed to be more than happy at the sudden change. Then, Paolo started the counting as Harry hit the soft melody of their first song.

Relena watched as The United performed. She knew Noin was tensed ever since they arrived so she quickly threw her a reassuring smile. Sitting next to Noin was Quatre, having been invited as the representative of the Winner's family. But Relena knew he only came because it was the only way he could be close enough to Relena. The other pilots, Relena knew, were close by. Including Heero.

Heero watched The United carefully. He knew if the assassin was one of the two boys, he wouldn't strike now, not when he's still on the stage. But Heero was not about to take any chances. He knew that this was it. His gut feeling told him so and he always listened to what his guts said. And so, he kept on watching, expecting trouble that was creeping in.

Quatre watched the band performed, but each time, his eyes strayed on the other four people standing all around the room. Though they're indoor, their Gundams were not far away. It was a precaution they took to make sure if the guerillas decided to attack, they would be well prepared. But so far nothing happened yet and so he told himself to relax a little and enjoy the show.

Then as The United was about to enter their fourth song, an explosion occurred from the outside. The guests jumped to their feet and were running around searching for the exit. In the midst of chaos, Quatre turned to Noin, "Get Relena out of here," he shouted as they heard another explosion and a series of gunshot. They immediately guessed that a battle was taking place outside.

Noin and Relena ran towards the back door, through the kitchen and a series of empty hallways. Relena wondered about the welfare of the other guests. She was about to stop and turn back when there was a series of running footsteps coming from behind them. Their first thought was the assassin had found them but then…

"Amy! Paolo!" Relena cried out. Then Jack ran up from behind them. Amy looked at Relena and Noin, she was in distress. "Relena! Miss Noin! We can't find Harry and Kyle anywhere!"

"Don't worry, I'm over here," said a new voice, coming from behind Relena and Noin. When Amy saw who it was, she gasped.

"Kyle! What are you doing here?"

Kyle's eyes were on Relena and Noin. "Doing the only thing a dead soldier like me could do," he said, then raised a gun and pointed it at Relena.

"It can't be you," Relena whispered, disbelief.

"It is me." Then he fired.

As fast as lightning, Noin jumped right in front of Relena and took the bullet for her. She gasped in pain and felt her legs crumpled beneath her. Relena knelt beside Noin, holding her in her arms. Amy and the others were in shock but she quickly snapped out of it.

"What are you doing, Kyle?! Stop!" she said when Kyle pointed the gun again at Relena.

"I'm sorry you have to see this," he said, addressing Amy but his eyes were on Relena. "But I won't hesitate to kill you if I have to."

Amy drew in her breath when she heard the chill in his voice. Never in the time they were together that Kyle used that tone on her. Now, it was as if she was staring at a stranger. "You're the assassin!" she said softly, surprised to hear how hollow her voice sounded.

Jack and Paolo looked at her and then at Kyle. "What! We have an assassin in our band the whole time?" said Jack, incredulously.

"It's the only way I could travel without anyone suspecting." His finger then tightened the hold on the trigger. "It's time to die, Relena Peacecraft."

Suddenly something dropped from the above. Just as quickly, Kyle whipped the gun at it. Relena gasped. "Heero!" He stood between her and Kyle, a gun pointed straight at him. He glared at Kyle but said to Relena. "Get Noin and the others out of here."

Relena looked at Kyle, to see if he's going to stop them. But to her surprise, Kyle had his eyes only on Heero, ignoring all others. So, she helped Noin up as Jack pulled Amy away. "No, I want to stay," she protested. "Let go of me, Jack!"

"Shut up and go!" Kyle snapped in an icy tone. Amy was surprised to hear that and saw Kyle spared a cold look at her. So, she let Jack led her back, away from the two.

As soon as they were gone, Heero shifted his eyes back on the boy before him. "Heero Yuy," Kyle said. "So, I finally get to meet the ever infamous Gundam pilot."

"And you finally get to die," said Heero. "By my hand."

"No," a new voice said. From behind Heero, Wu Fei appeared, unarmed. "If he were to die, it would be by _my_ hand," he said, surprising Heero and Kyle. He looked straight at Kyle. "My name is Wu Fei Chang. I'm the one who killed Treize Khushraneda. It is me you want not Heero, not anyone else."

Kyle turned his gun at him. "You're the one," he said, anger clearly written in his eyes but his face was calm. Before anyone of them could say a thing, there was a series of running footsteps and Trowa, Duo and Quatre appeared. Relena's with them.

"Why are you here?" said Heero, obviously displeased. Relena looked at Kyle.

"I want to talk Kyle out of this."

"No," said Wu Fei. "I want to fight him."

Kyle kept his eyes on Wu Fei and then at the newcomers but he address his words to Relena. "And I want to fight them. So, don't waste your breath."

"Why do you want to fight us?" asked Quatre. "The war is over."

"_My_ war is not."

Hearing that, Quatre was silent. He realized that there was no other way but to fight. Then, Heero stepped aside. "He's all yours, Wu Fei."

Wu Fei looked at Kyle, who dropped the gun. From his back, he took out a blade. Wu Fei quickly recognized it. It was the same one Treize used to fight him a long time ago. And so, he drew out his own weapon and faced him. Then as one, the two charged at each other.

Duo, Quatre, Trowa and Heero watched in awe. They've seen Wu Fei in action before but they never saw the other person. And from what they were seeing, Kyle was as good as Wu Fei and that they were evenly matched. Both definitely had skills and techniques, which were further amplified by their discipline and determination to raise over the other. And secretly, Heero knew that if the other pilots were to fight Kyle beside Wu Fei, they would have a hard time. And that including him too.

'But if it were a fight in a mobile suit,' he thought. 'It would be different. Provided if Kyle could pilot a mobile suit.' But somehow, Heero knew he could.

>>>>>>>

Relena watched everything, her pacifist nature was telling her to stop the fight. She doesn't want either boys to get hurt. Not Wu Fei, because he's on her side and not Kyle because she owed him her life. Besides, she was beginning to like him. And whatever that drove him to do this cannot be the reason why he should die.

And Wu Fei, well, she knew he felt guilty because of his easy victory over Treize. It was the only reason why he disappeared on his own. He still couldn't accept Treize's action when he drove the Tallgeese straight into his trident. Now with Kyle, he had the chance to make it right, by defeating him fairly. But even so, Relena can't let this continue. She won't.

She was about to move forward when a hand pushed her back. She turned to see Heero, his eyes telling her to leave them alone. Confused with him being near her, she could only looked on.

>>>>>>>

Wu Fei looked at the assassin before him as he blocked another blow. He had to admit, this Kyle Rayden was as good as Treize Khushraneda. And there were moments where Wu Fei felt as if he were battling Treize again. After a series of blows and blocks, he managed to let out a statement. "You're good."

"You should know," said Kyle. "I was trained by Treize himself."

Wu Fei was surprised at the revelation and nearly missed a blow. He jumped away to look at Kyle. "Then, it was an honor to fight against you," he said, nodded in respect.

"The honor is all mine."

Then Wu Fei and Kyle charged at each other. Suddenly, a voice shouted out from nowhere. "No, Kylie! Don't!"

>>>>>>>

Kyle was surprised to hear that voice so he halted. Standing behind the other Gundam pilots was Lady Une. He was so surprised to see her that he didn't see Wu Fei's blade coming down from above. In that split second, Kyle could only jumped back and felt the blade cut through his chest.

The seconds after that was like a slow motion. The pilots were surprised at Lady Une's unexpected appearance. They turned back to the combatants only to see Wu Fei swung his blade down on Kyle who was as surprised as they were that he lost sight of Wu Fei. Then he jumped back but the blade didn't missed him entirely. It cut through his shirt and the bandages under it. Bandages?!

Duo's eyes popped out of his sockets at what was revealed before him and the others. "He's a she!" he said, stating the obvious as Kyle held onto the ripped shirt to cover himself. Blood was already seeping through.

"You're a girl!" said Wu Fei, surprised that he backened. The others, even Heero were surprised as well. All, except Lady Une.

"Kylie, you're hurt," she said, stepped forward.

"Stay back!" said Kyle or Kylie, now. She had somersaulted and picked up her gun and was pointing it at them. Seeing her, Relena finally understood why Kyle always seemed young and vulnerable. And why he had soft features and innocent boyish looks. The only thing that made them mistaken her for a boy was her hard, cold eyes.

Now that the truth was revealed, they could finally see a girl standing before them. A girl that was about their own age, with long red hair that seemed to curtain her face. She glared at all of them, obviously unhappy that Lady Une was there and that they saw the real person she was.

Lady Une stepped forward, her hands up showing that she's unarmed. "Little Fire, please listen to me." The girl looked at her, expressionless and said, "That person is dead."

"Alright, Kylie," Lady Une corrected herself. "Please listen to me. There's no reason for you to continue to fight. The war is over when Mr. Treize died," she said, painfully. "He died because he was protecting the peace we have today." The Gundam pilots were surprised to hear that. "He died because he wants to have this peace. You of all should know this."

Kylie trained the gun at her, her eyes narrowed. "I'm not listening to you. You're a traitor to both Treize and me. And your words meant nothing to me." She fingered the trigger. "I should destroy you right now."

Hearing her said that made Relena recalled the similar way Heero once said that to her. Then, she felt Heero glanced at her way. She glanced back at him and then turned her attention to Lady Une. Treize's personal assistant looked pained by Kylie's words.

"I never betray you, Kylie. Especially not Mr. Treize."

"You _let_ him die." At that, Lady Une almost felt tears threatening to come out but she quickly held it in check . Sure she failed to save Treize and that it was Treize's decision to sacrifice himself, but Kylie's words sliced through her heart.

Suddenly, there were other people coming. Then, Sally and Dorothy appeared, telling them the guerillas had retreated. They then halted when they saw the girl with the gun. Seeing them, Kylie decided that the place was too crowded and so, she looked at Wu Fei and the other Gundam pilots. "We'll finish this later," she said.

Before any of them could say a thing, she threw something at the floor. There was a small explosion and a blinding light, followed by a thick smoke. Lady Une ran to where Kylie was standing only to find the girl had vanished.

"Let her be," said Heero, stopping Duo who was running toward where he suspected the assassin ran to. "It's time for some answers," he said, looking at Lady Une. She turned to him, looking a little drained. She then turned to Dorothy who was standing next to Quatre and Trowa.

"Dorothy, secure the place. I want no one to come in here."

Dorothy nodded and left, after throwing a brief glance at Trowa and Quatre. Despite the war was over, the thing between them was still there and they need to talk it out soon. But not now.

Lady Une looked at them all and sighed. "Settle down and let me tell you the story of Kylie Rayden Khushraneda. Treize's adopted daughter."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	3. Treize's Revenge III: Revealations and C...

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. Anyone that is familiar to you belong to the Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, just the relief feeling that I finally get the story out of my mind before it haunt me to my insanity!

**TIMELINE:** The story takes place in the tv's Gundam Wing, right after Heero disappeared into outer space and before Noin and Dorothy met at the grave and before Heero reappeared to give Relena her birthday present. And oh, after Treize's Revenge II: The Lone Soldier.

**TREIZE'S REVENGE III: REVEALATIONS AND CONFRONTATION**

**By Arayelle Lynn.**

Though surprised by what had just happened, Quatre settled down on a crate, next to Relena. Seeing an empty space, Duo settled down as well beside him. Wu Fei put his blade aside and leaned against the wall, right opposite Heero who was leaning as well. Trowa and Sally remained still, looking at Lady Une who was standing before them. "Alright, tell us," said Quatre, gently. "How did Kylie come to be Treize's adopted daughter?"

Lady Une smiled at the memory. "It was entirely fated. She was just a small girl." She paused and stared at the ceiling as the memory of that fateful day came back to her mind. "Treize and I were in Thailand where we met this small seven-year-old girl. We were there on a mission for the Alliance. I was just an Alliance spy then and Mr. Treize was General Catalonia's valuable officer. I was supposed to meet Mr. Treize to give reports on my findings while on the colonies. We met at the rendezvous point when I saw this dirty-looking girl picking Treize's pocket for his wallet."

"Of course I warned Treize off and caught the girl red-handed. But the look on her face was unforgettable…"

**XXXXXX**

_When Treize heard Une cried, he turned towards her. He was surprised to see the Alliance spy struggling with a small girl who seemed to be giving her a hard time. "Lieutenant Une?" he asked._

_"She's a pickpocket, sir. She tried to steal your wallet," she said. It was then Treize noticed his wallet in the little girl's hand. Lieutenant Une yanked the wallet from her and handed it back to him. He looked at the girl, impressed by her skill. She had managed to steal his wallet without him knowing and with him surrounded by his own men. If it weren't for the Lieutenant Une, she would've gotten away clean._

_"What do you suggest we do with this thief?"_

_The little girl turned to glare at him. Treize was taken aback by the fire in her eyes, which matched the fiery red of her hair. Her eyes told him that she was angry at being caught but they also challenged him as well. From there, Treize could tell that there's a hidden spirit inside her and that she knew no fear. She didn't care what happen to her at all._

Suddenly, the little girl kicked Lieutenant Une on her knee. In pain, Lieutenant Une released her grip as the girl ran away. She bit off angry remarks as they watched the girl escaped. "Let her be, Lieutenant. We should be talking about your findings. General Catalonia expects some news," he said, then turned to call one of his men. "Take some of your men and go find the girl. I'll give rewards to any who find her." The soldier nodded and called on six men. They then ran towards where the little girl disappeared to.

_"Sir," said Lieutenant Une. "Why?"_

_Treize began to walk, while she followed. "In her world, if she failed to steal anything and get caught, terrible things could happen to her worse than getting arrested. This is why she wasn't afraid when you want to hand her over to the authorities." He looked at her. "And I don't want that to happen."_

_"But why?"_

_Treize looked at her, as if surprised by the question. "I don't know," he said, wondering why. What was his reason? Finally he answered, "I guess it's the fire in her eyes. I don't want it to flicker off. There's just something beautiful about it."_

**XXXXXX**

"I guess you found her then?" asked Quatre. Lady Une nodded.

"Yes. It was nightfall by the time I finished my reports. Mr. Treize was about to fill me up on my next assignment when the soldiers Treize sent came back and told us where she was," she said. "Treize quickly went to where she was and saw a drunk beating her up while other small children looked on in fear. She was badly hurt and if Treize hadn't come that instant, that sorry bastard would have rape her."

"What?" Quatre cried, as the others were shocked. Even Heero looked angry.

Lady Une closed her eyes, trying to extinguish the image but couldn't. It was as if it just happened yesterday. So she continued. "Of course, Treize went ballistic. He beaten the man senseless and handed him over to the authorities. That was the first time I'd ever saw anyone could get that angry. And it wasn't pretty."

"What happened then?" Relena prompted, feeling sorry for the little girl.

"The other children were sent to a safe house where he made sure they get decent families to live with. He got the little girl to the hospital and waited for her, never leave her side for a minute." She paused. "It was then I vowed my loyalty to Mr. Treize." She remembered why. Treize had just shown her that day that there's at least one person in the cruel world who still had compassion for the weak.

She continued. "When the girl was well, Treize took her in to live with him. And Treize was so happy after that. Kylie seemed to fill the empty space in his life. While she gets to grow up like a normal child."

Suddenly, Lady Une's face was grim. "Then one day, Kylie overheard something she's not suppose to hear," she said, quietly. There was silence.

"Well, what is it? What did she heard?" Duo prompted, seemed to have caught up with the story like the rest of them were. He felt a kindred soul in Kylie since he too, had lived in the street when he was little.

Lady Une looked up to the ceiling. "General Catalonia's discussion of the plan to gain control over the colonies and the annihilation of the Alliance forces." Her eyes glistened. "She was only eleven then. Treize and I were discussing along with the other highest Romefeller leaders. When we were leaving, we found her standing before the door, ready to enter."

**XXXXXX**

_"Kylie!" said Treize, scooping her up in his arms. The girl hugged him while the other Romefeller officers looked on._

_"Who is this child, Treize?"_

_"She's lovely."_

_Kylie looked at them in a scrutinizing gaze. How dare they ask Treize who she was. She lived in this house so they should know who they were looking at. She's the lady of the house, just like Treize told her before. Then, she saw Treize smiled and put her down. "This, gentlemen is Kylie, the lady of the house."_

_Kylie straightened her dress and curtsied beautifully, like she was trained to do when meet Treize's guests. One of them extended his hand. "Hello, Kylie. I'm General Catalonia, very pleased to meet you." He kissed her hand. "I have a daughter about your age. Perhaps one day you will meet her."_

_Duke Dermail looked at Treize, awfully pleased by his selection. "You shouldn't have kept her to yourself, Treize. She's the most beautiful child I've ever seen. Where did she come from?"_

_"Some place," said Treize and kissed her cheek gently. "I purposely hid her here because she was too precious to be shown around."_

_"I see," said General Catalonia, chuckling. "Yes, she does seem like a precious little thing. Maybe one day you would take her to see my daughter, Dorothy. She's been asking about you."_

_"Perhaps," said Treize. Then, he signaled a servant to show the leaders out. He turned to Kylie, who was looking at him, guiltily._

_"I'm sorry, Mr. Treize. I'm not supposed to barge in on your meeting with your friends."_

_Treize laughed gently. "Nonsense. Who said that?" Kylie glanced at Lady Une, who had been assigned as Treize's personal assistant a few months ago. "You are the lady of the house and you could go anywhere you want."_

_"Alright," she said, suddenly feel bashful. "I actually came by to give you these," she said, handing him the roses. "I picked them up fresh from the garden. They're the first blossom this year."_

_Treize took the flowers and smelled them. "They're lovely, Little Fire." He called her by the nickname he gave her. "I'll keep them close by my bed."_

**XXXXXX**

"Red rose," Lady Une whispered. "It was her favorite flower. And because of that, red rose became Treize's favorite as well. Their love and devotion for each other was so strong that I guess I was a little jealous."

"What happened next?" Quatre prompted gently.

Lady Une looked at him. "Something that changed our life."

**XXXXXX**

_Kylie watched the Romefeller leaders left the estate. She then looked back at Treize, who was watching her. "Why were they here?" she asked, her eyes were serious._

_Treize sat on the sofa and took her on his lap. "We were discussing some matters."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Secret matters," he said, winking playfully._

_"You said people who love each other should not keep secrets," she argued. "Don't you love me anymore?"_

_He chuckled, softly. "Yes, I did say that, didn't I? You're a smart girl." He straightened himself. "Alright, I'll tell you what we were talking about."_

_"Mr. Treize," Lady Une protested._

_"No, Une," said Treize. "When our plans are put into motion, she will find that everything will not be the same. It is better for her to know about it now."_

_Lady Une quieted as Treize turned to the little girl who waited patiently for him to continue. Treize then looked at her in the eye. "In the near future, we're going to invade the colonies and annihilate the Alliance."_

_His eyes stared into hers, searching for a sign of fear or surprise. But there was none. Instead, there was a look of understanding and acceptance in her eyes that surprised Treize a little. Suddenly, she climbed down from his lap and took his hands in hers. Her eyes never left Treize's_

_"Then, let's invade the colonies and destroy the Alliance together," she said, with a seriousness that stunned Treize and shocked Lady Une._

_Treize smiled gently, thinking that she was just kidding. "You don't know what is at stake when you said that." But Kylie didn't smile back. She stared at him with a seriousness that rivaled any adults._

_"I know, father," she suddenly said, surprising Treize and Lady Une. Kylie had never called him that. From the time they first met, Kylie had been calling him Mr. Treize, like Lady Une. She never called him father until now. Not even after Treize decided to adopt her. To hear her called him that showed that she had just pledged her life for him, forever. Not the other way around._

_"Teach me how to be an OZ soldier, father," she said, sounding more like an order than a request. "Teach me to fight the enemy and I promise you that I will deliver total victory at your feet."_

_For a moment, Treize closed his eyes and was quiet. Seeing his silence, Kylie feared that he might reject her request. For what seemed like forever, Treize opened his eyes and smiled. "Alright, Little Fire. I'll teach you how to become a soldier."_

_Kylie smiled happily and threw her arms around him. Treize hugged her back, tightly. Though the smile was still on his face, he was crying inside for he had just lost his 'daughter' to the war he himself was helping to initiate._

**XXXXXX**

"That was the last time either of us saw her smile," said Lady Une, her eyes seemed to see the past and they could see a single tear threatened to roll down. But quickly, she wiped it off and turned to look at them. "She began her training shortly after that," she continued. "Treize and I were surprised at the transformation that took over her in just a short time. She had cut her long hair and changed her image. All the gentleness and innocence of a child were all gone, completely wiped out of existence. She had became a hard-spirited soldier and go by a male name, Kyle Khushrenada."

"Kyle Khushrenada?" Duo repeated. "Why would she gone around posing as a male?"

Lady Une closed her eyes. "Because if she use her own name, people would see her as Treize's little lady. Kylie didn't want that. She wants them to treat her like Treize's son and a soldier. And surprisingly enough, Kyle turned out to be one of OZ's best soldiers."

"But Treize only agreed to train her just so he could satisfy her, right?" asked Quatre. "He never intended to use her in battle. Right?"

She shook her head. "No. Treize was planning to put her in charge of a mobile suit troop, under the command of Zechs Merquise." Relena's head rose at that.

"What!" Duo shouted, nearly deafened Quatre. "How could he? She was just a young girl. Doesn't he worry that she would get herself killed?"

"On the contrary, Duo, she's about your age," said Lady Une. "So, you should look at yourself when you thought of her motivation."

"But still, she's a _girl_!" said Duo, emphasizing the word.

Lady Une looked at him. "Gender is not the issue here. Anyway, who did you just faced? A girl, remember?" Then she paused. "Anyway, you didn't let me finish my sentence."

"Go on, then," said Trowa, giving Duo a warning look. Duo swallowed and shrunk back.

"Anyway, Treize was going to put her in the front line until he heard about you five," she continued. "When he get to know about you pilots and actually met one personally." She looked at Wu Fei. "He realized that the war has changed you all and drained all of your humanity. You all lose out on the chance of living like normal children would." She looked at the Gundam pilots. "And he realized that he couldn't do that to Kylie."

"Why?" asked Quatre.

"Because he realized that he still wants her as his own daughter. If he sends her out to fight, Kylie will no longer be the little girl he picked up from the streets. She will be just another OZ soldier who happened to be trained personally by Treize. It would destroy what they shared together in the past. No, he couldn't do that to her. He loved her too much."

"You see, when Treize brought Kylie into his house, he promised that she would have a normal life without fear and hunger like she suffered when she was in the streets. He wanted her to grow up to love and be loved." Lady Une smiled sadly. "I guess, Treize never realized how much he really loved her until that day when he heard about you pilots."

She looked at them. "Treize was always careful enough not to let anyone enter his heart, fearing that he might hurt them. But for the first time in his life, someone had entered his empty heart, without both intending to do so. I have wished countless times that Treize would keep me in his heart," she said softly.

"But that never happen. So, I settled to be by his side and do everything he wished me to do. So, it gave me an absolute happiness when he let Kylie into his heart. Even if it wasn't me. I was happy that he at least has someone he could look back to."

"What happened to Kylie then?" asked Trowa.

Lady Une gave them a pained look. "Kylie was hurt. But she never showed it, although Treize could feel her pain. She became such a great soldier that emotions are no longer relevant. Instead, she obeyed every order Treize gave her, like any good soldiers would."

"And so, Treize sent her and the rest of her humanity that was still intact to the human resource division, where she handled the entrance of new recruits and the welfare of soldiers who died in battle."

"I see," said Heero, surprising everyone. "So in turn to save her humanity, Treize sent her to deal with the cause and effect of the war. To make her see the innocence of the new recruits and the sorrow of the families of those who were killed."

"Exactly," said Lady Une. "But their relationship changed. Treize stayed away from her, fearing for the feelings in his heart while Kylie kept her distance, respecting his decision. But I know their love for each other is still there."

"And when Treize was detained, he made sure Kylie didn't join the retaliating soldiers and instead, sent her to outer space. He wanted her to remain in shadows, fearing that Duke Dermail or any other Romefeller officials would use her against him. Since part of Kylie's training was to hide from the authority, Romefeller never find her. And that was the last time Treize and I ever heard from Kylie. She seemed to have disappeared… until now."

"Alright, so now that we have heard the whole story, what are we going to do?" asked Duo. "Do we let her do what she wants to do?"

"No," said Heero. "We hunt her down and kill her."

Relena, Quatre and Duo were surprised to hear that. "What? Why?" asked Relena. "She's just a girl whose life was twisted by the war."

"And she happens to be the most dangerous enemy around," Trowa put in. "Heero's right. We must find and destroy her."

"Leave her to me," said Wu Fei suddenly. The others looked at him, surprised. "She has a score to settle with me. I am the reason why she's acting like this. I'm the one she wants."

"No!" said Lady Une. "When you find her, leave her to _me_."

"Didn't you heard what she said?" asked Wu Fei. "She said your words no longer mean anything to her. She recognized you as a traitor and therefore, a target."

Lady Une reached for something in her pocket. "I know that my words are useless on her. But I'm sure these aren't," she said, showing them an envelope. There's a red seal behind it, sealing the letter.

"What is it?" asked Quatre.

Lady Une smiled sadly. "The letter Treize wrote before he departed for that final war. Somehow, he knew that he's not going to return and wrote a letter to Kylie, explaining his actions and giving her his final orders." She fingered the letter. "I was to give her this but when Treize was killed, so was any sign of her. I've been searching for her this whole time, knowing that she is the dangerous assassin people have been talking about. But now…"

She looked at them, particularly at Quatre. "This letter could make Kylie turned to our side and stop this endless and useless retaliation." She walked up to him. "And I'm entrusting this to you, Quatre."

"Me?" he choked, surprised.

"Yes, Quatre. You have enough resources to find her quickly, before she could make her next move. So, you'll be our messenger, the one who would give her this and stop her from destroying herself and others." She looked at him, pleadingly. "Will you do this for me and Treize?"

Quatre stared at the envelope for a moment and then took it. "I'd be honored to do so, Lady Une."

"Thank you," she said. She then looked at all of them. "Good luck." Then she was gone. Quatre looked at the envelope and pocketed it. "Well, I better get started if I want to find her quickly," he said, started to leave, but Heero stopped him.

"You better find her fast, Quatre," he said, quietly. "If I find her before you do, she wouldn't be standing." With that, Heero left, leaving Relena who watched him with a worried look on her face.

"Heero," she said, softly.

"Don't worry, Relena," said Quatre. "He's not serious about that," he added, trying to make her feel better.

"He _is_ serious," said Wu Fei. "And so am I." Duo started to say something but he interrupted. "Like I said earlier. She has a score to settle with me. And we all know who would be the final victor." Then he too, left.

Without turning, Quatre said to Trowa, "Well, what are you going to do, Trowa? Are you going to hunt her down too?"

"No," said Trowa. "Someone needs to be here and protect Relena, in case Kylie returns. And besides, you need all the concentrations to find her before the two did. So, leave Relena to me."

Quatre was happy to hear him say that. He then turned to Duo. "Hey, don't look at me," said Duo. "You're my ride, so I'm stuck with you." He then looked at him mischievously. "Besides, I really want to see this Kylie again. She's cute."

That brought a smile to Relena's face. "Hilde's going to kill you if she heard you said that about another girl, you know."

"Yeah, well, if I turned up dead, we know exactly who told her that."

**XXXXXX**

"So, Kyle is really a girl," said Noin when Duo finished telling the story. She was very surprised at this turn of event "And she's Treize's adopted daughter." They were in the hospital, visiting Noin who would be alright in a few days.

Duo shrugged. "Yeah, and Quatre is in his office now conducting searches for her. And Sally is helping out. They got every people looking into the matter."

"And since Kylie was injured from the duel with Wu Fei, Quatre has agents watching over every hospitals and pharmacies in the colonies."

"Provided if she doesn't have medical supplies of her own," Trowa said.

Duo looked at him. "Right, rub it on. Why don't you say she turn to the guerillas for assistance? I mean, they could be in it together."

"No, I seriously think that Kylie works alone. She seemed to have survived well by herself when she was little, so she is capable of taking care of herself." Trowa looked at Noin. "You were close with Zechs and he's close with Treize, Kylie used to be an OZ soldier and had lived with Treize once, don't you ever heard about her?"

Noin shook her head. "No and I pretty much doubt Zechs knew about her either. Treize could sometimes be a little secretive about his personal life." She then paused. "Though I did recall of hearing about a new cadet by the name Kyle. Zechs once told me that he was good."

"Yup, I think that's Kylie alright," said Trowa. "I wish we know more things about her now. I just want to see if she can still be saved."

Duo nudged him, teasingly. "Having a little soft spot for the little lady, huh?" He put his hands out in a mock surrender. "Don't worry. You're not the only one who is charmed by her looks."

"I just want to make sure Quatre won't be in any danger when he finally found her, that's all."

"I know who we could ask," said Relena suddenly. She had been quiet the whole time, still disturbed by Heero's actions. Trowa, Duo and Noin looked at her expectantly. "We should go and see Amy. They've been living together since the war started."

"Great, let's go," a voice from the doorway said. They turned to see Quatre. He looked at Noin. "Thought I take a break and visit you. But I guess we're going away now," he said, as Relena and the others stood up. "Get well soon, Miss Noin."

"Good luck, you all," she said as they walked out.

**XXXXXX**

Quatre drove them to the hotel Relena had told him. To their relief, Amy Pierson was still staying there and was in her room. They went up to see her. As soon as she saw them in the hallway, she quickly rushed towards Relena. "Where's Kyle? Is he dead?" she asked. Relena almost felt sorry for her.

"No, he escaped," she said, knowing that Amy still didn't know that Kyle was a girl.

Amy looked tear-stricken as she led them into her room. "It's all over the news," she said. "They said that the assassin was killed by a Gundam pilot," she told them. "And the others, they take it pretty badly. I mean, they didn't believe that while we were busy promoting peace, our band member is out killing people." She looked at them. "But all I want is Kyle back, safe and sound."

"You must have cared for him deeply," said Quatre, gently helping her to a sofa.

Amy looked at him as if he had just said the weirdest thing. "Of course. He cared for me."

"That's why we need your help," said Relena. "We're trying to find Kyle before it's too late. And we need you to tell us about him and his past."

For a moment Amy was silent. Then she frowned as if trying hard to remember something. "You know what, I don't really know much about Kyle's past," she said to them, surprised by her lack of knowledge. "But what I do know about him is that he's the most caring and sweetest person I've ever met."

"How is he caring and sweet?" Quatre prodded. "How did you meet?"

Amy looked down. "Kyle saved my life," she said. "I was with my family when OZ attacked the White Fang. The colony I was on was immediately pulled in into the battle. My parents were killed by an explosion and I was about to be buried under tons of falling concrete when Kyle pushed me to safety."

She then looked at them, as if remembering something. "And he was wearing an OZ mobile suit uniform. I thought that he was one of them. But he told me that he's a deserter, that he has left OZ a long time ago."

Duo leaned forward. "And then what happen?"

"He took care of me," she told them. "He got a job and used the money to support us. He even got me into the band." She smiled at the memory. "While we were walking, he saw Morris and asked him to hear me sing. He, right there and then, took out his guitar and played a song for me. When we were finished, Morris signed us on immediately." She looked at them. "He made me a star."

Trowa looked at Quatre and nodded. "Thank you, Amy. I think we've found out what we want to know. You've been very helpful," said Relena. She stood, ready to leave when Amy grabbed her hand.

"Don't hurt him, okay? He's really a good person."

Relena was touched by the love she had for Kyle and nodded. "I promise you. No harm will come to Kyle. Even if I have to put my life in line," she said, thinking of Heero. They then left.

"What's your verdict?" asked Duo. "Can she still be saved?"

Quatre looked at Trowa. "I'll get back to work now." He started to walk away when Trowa took his arm. "Wait, I want to help," he said, making Quatre smiled happily.

"Great, I'll play the bodyguard then," said Duo. Relena turned to him "Don't worry. I'm not planning to go anywhere until we find her. So, I don't need a bodyguard."

"Fine, then," said Duo. "I'll just sit back and let you guys do all the work."

"Duo," said Quatre, shaking his head in amusement.

**XXXXXX**

Kylie strummed the guitar, attempting to finish the last song. Seeing Lady Une again brought back painful memories from her past. And the only way she could distract herself from the pain was through the guitar.

Before this, she found herself unable to finish this particular song. But now, she used all the pain inside to write and found it was easier for her to finish it. Her wound was still aching but the bleeding had stopped. She was angered by her carelessness. She should have seen the blade coming at her instead of freezing when she saw Lady Une. Luckily, the wound was shallow and she was sure that she will be back on her feet in no time, which was good. She was sure that the Gundam pilots would find out her hiding place sooner or later. But she didn't care. Pretty soon it would all be over for her. And the pilots.

'Don't worry, Mr. Treize. I would be joining you soon,' she thought and then continued writing her last song.

**XXXXXX**

It'd been six days since the incident. The search was still on as Quatre worked furiously to find Kylie before Heero and Wu Fei found her. The news of the assassin's supposedly demise spread really fast. Luckily, Relena managed to use all her power to maintain the true identity of the assassin.

Meanwhile, The United was facing a dilemma. While Amy still tried to defend Kyle on his behalf, the other members and Morris decided to end his contract. But they all agreed to keep the identity of the assassin a secret, fearing the truth might ruin their own career. And Amy was forced to agree as they announced to the media that Kyle Rayden had left the band. But she did manage to convince them to play Kyle's new songs because she knew that he would've wanted that.

But as the days went by, Quatre and Relena were beginning to fear that the people would discover the news of the assassin's demise was just a cover up. And so, Quatre and his team were forced to work hard to make sure Treize's letter get to her first before anything happen to her or if she decided to take a more drastic measures that could create more conflict and the discovery of her survival. And while Quatre, Trowa, Duo and Sally worked hard to find her, Relena was trying hard to convince some of the world leaders who knew about the assassin being alive, to leave the search to her.

Quatre was staring at a report when the good news came in. "Quatre, we got it!" said Duo, rushing into the room "A few of our people saw a girl that fit Kylie's description in colony V17753."

"I guess she knew the authorities would be looking for a boy, not a girl," said Quatre as Trowa smiled a little.

"Clever girl, isn't she?" he said.

Quatre stood. "Well, what are we waiting here for? Let's get to her before Heero or Wu Fei does."

**XXXXXX**

When Kylie woke up that morning, she knew that the day would change her life forever. That this was it. But she went on her day as usual. Had her breakfast, cleaned the place up and continued on her maintenance of her mobile suit. Something deep inside told her that she was going to need it.

She felt very calm the whole day, as if accepting her early death already. She had nothing she feared and nothing she regretted except for the fact that she was unable to see Amy again. But even then, Kylie knew Amy was in good hands. Plus her wound had closed up, thankfully, and she could move with the agility she once had before Wu Fei's blade slashed her.

Then, having finished her usual routine and her Taurus maintenance, Kylie picked up the guitar and continued to finish her song, hoping she could finished it before he arrive. She was nearly finished when she sensed someone's coming. She kept her back on him and sensed a gun pointing at her.

"Took you long enough to find me," she said, her back was still on him.

"You were good. Very good," he said, noting that she was wearing a dark flight suit under her denim jacket.

Suddenly she turned, a gun pointed at him. "Hello, Heero Yuy. I knew you would find me first," she said. "You always struck me as the most resourceful one."

"It's time we finished what we've started in Sector G27," said Heero.

"Right," she said. "This would be our final confrontation."

With that she leapt. Heero fired at her but she quickly ducked away from the line of fire and fired her own gun, forcing Heero to take cover. Then, Heero leapt up and saw where she was hiding and fired. Kylie felt the bullet passed near her ear and somersaulted to safety and fired again.

Bullets flew all across the room as each gunner tried to hit their target. Neither seemed to be winning because both were equal in skills. Kylie was about to execute another somersault when her feet landed on an oil patch and she slipped. She felt a bullet flew past her and fired one, near Heero's feet. "You missed me," she said, keeping the gun trained at him while she got back to her feet. But as she rose, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. 'Great! I'm getting sloppy.'

Heero looked at her. "We're not making any progress," he said. "You're a mobile suit pilot, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she said. "I was actually waiting for you to ask that."

"How good are you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. I only fight those who can challenge me," said Heero.

She looked at him, defiantly. "Alright then, I'm good enough to defeat you."

Heero smiled. "We shall see," he said, lowering his gun. "My Gundam is nearby. I'll be back in a minute."

Kylie glanced at her red Taurus. "I'll wait for you," she said, lowering her own gun. Heero turned to leave when suddenly a voice said. "No! Our fight is not over yet." Both Kylie and Heero turned towards the voice. It was Wu Fei.

"You can wait, Wu Fei. I was here first," said Heero.

Wu Fei looked at Kylie. "No. We need to finish what Treize and I have started. And only she could do that."

"I'll decide that," she said, her gun was training on him.

"Stop it, all of you!" a new voice said. Quatre ran and stood between Kylie and Wu Fei.

Kylie's tightened her hold on the trigger. "Step aside, blondie," she said, coldly. "Your turn will come soon."

"No, this is wrong. You shouldn't be fighting each other," said Quatre, looking at her. "The war is over, Kylie. Treize sacrificed himself so we could have this peace. He sacrificed himself for _your_ future."

Kylie frowned. She never expected this. "What do you mean? Is this a trick?"

"It's not a trick, Kylie," said Quatre. "We know all about your story. How Treize found you in the streets and how he took you in as his own daughter. You were a very happy girl then, Kylie. And that's what Treize ever wanted from you."

Kylie bit her lips. "You're just using that story to trick me into surrendering."

"It's not a trick. It's the truth," said Quatre, gently. Then decided to do what he came to do. "Before Treize was killed in action, he wrote you a letter. Here it is," he said, showing her the letter.

"That's a fake. Anyone could fake a letter," she said, her index finger still on the trigger.

Seeing she was not about to back off, Quatre decided to do the bravest and craziest thing. He stepped forward, his chest touching the nozzle of her gun. "Quatre!" cried Duo as a warning. He stepped forward only to be held back by Trowa. "You'll endanger Quatre's life and your own if you move," the quiet circus boy hissed. They turned to watch the two, quietly.

"That letter is not a fake. Treize wrote this and gave it to Lady Une to deliver it to you. Now, she gave it to me to give it to you. Please, read it," said Quatre, still trying to convince the validity of the letter to the cold assassin.

Still, she ignored the letter and fingered the trigger. "Shoot me if you want to but please read this letter," he insisted. But instead, her finger was squeezing the trigger slowly. Quatre firmly decided to throw his life at her mercy and didn't move. Instead, his eyes met hers in a steady gaze. For a moment there, Heero saw Kylie's cold eyes battled Quatre's warm ones.

"Quatre!" It was Trowa who called out. "Get away from her."

But still neither Quatre nor Kylie was moving. His life was definitely in her hands now. She could kill him instantly by just squeezing the trigger. For the tenth times, Trowa wished he was a little closer to both of them so he could try and disarm her. But to move now would be signing Quatre's death certificate.

"Kylie!" said Heero, breaking the intense silence. "The letter is no trick. It was really from Treize. Trust him."

"Why should I?"

Wu Fei answered that. "If there's anyone you could trust in this world, it's Quatre. He's the most trustworthy among any of us."

For a moment Kylie stared at Quatre, still determining if she should trust him. And Quatre stared back at her, his gaze softened. "If you want to die, at least please die knowing how much Treize love you," he said, gently.

At that, Kylie lowered the gun. The others exhaled while Quatre hold out the letter. "Please, read this," he said, softly. Kylie's hands were shaking as she took the envelope from Quatre, seeing the familiar seal. She broke the seal and inside the envelope were a letter and a petal of dried rose. She recognized the identification, unfold the paper and read it.

'_My loveliest Fire,_

_By the time you get this letter, you would've heard about my demise and my defeat. But fear not, it has always been my plan to lose. My only regret is that I was not able to live on with you and that I had to leave you so soon, all alone in this brave new world._

_Little Fire, _

_I know at this moment you would be in great grief and confusion but remember this. Those around you now are to be trusted. Stop fighting them. They are the ones I included in my plan to ensure peace for our people. They are the ones who would be helping you to get along in this new world. Please, trust them and keep them in your loving heart as you have kept me._

_Little Fire,_

_From the day I took you under my wings, I've never asked for a favor from you but this would be the first and the last. In that brave new world, there would be a person who will save mankind. Her name is Relena Peacecreft of the Sanc Kingdom. I would really like it if you could protect her with all your life and help her maintain peace on Earth and in outer space. Help the Gundam pilots keep the peace because that has always been my ultimate goal for the war I've initiate a long time ago. These people are the symbol of peace and should be protected at all costs._

_That is all I asked from you. I'm sorry if I ever wronged you, Little Fire, but remember this; I will always love you and will be in your heart. Please, save yourself. Live and love others as I love you. You're so beautiful when you love. Be happy and live a long life for me._

_For All Eternity,_

_Treize Khushrenada- your father'_

When Kylie finished reading the letter, she fell to her knees, feeling weak. 'Oh, father. I finally understand why you rescued me from the streets years ago,' she thought. She picked up the dried petal and kissed it. 'I'm sorry for what I've done. You sacrificed yourself so I wouldn't have to stain my hands with blood. But instead, I defied your wishes and tainted my hands. More horribly, by using your name!'

The Gundam pilots looked on in silence. Quatre knelt before her and put a hand on her shaking body. "It's okay to cry, Kylie," he said gently. But her tears were all dried up since she was little so she didn't. Instead, she stared at the letter, Treize's last words to her. And savior of her soul.

Suddenly, the whole colony blared with warning lights and sirens. Heero looked at his comrades. "It's an attack. Must be the guerillas." With that, he ran out towards where he kept his Gundam, followed by Wu Fei and Trowa. Duo was torn between leaving Quatre alone with Kylie. But then Quatre nodded, telling him that he'll be fine.

He turned to Kylie, who was looking at him. "Thanks," she said, in her usual dispassionate voice. She then rose to her feet and started to walk towards her mobile suit.

"Wait, where are you going?" he asked.

She looked at him. "Out there, where the battle is. It's time I do the right thing," she said, walking away.

"Wait!" Quatre called out. "Your battle is over, remember? There's no reason for you to fight any more." Kylie turned to him, expressionless. "In Treize's letter, he told me to protect the peace of mankind. The guerillas threatened that peace, so I should go out there and stop them."

She kept on walking. "Maybe you should go too," she said, climbing up her red Taurus. "I've always wanted to fight with all the Gundam pilots." Quatre looked at her for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, I'll see you out there then."

She then climbed into the cockpit and switched on the system. She was about to put on her helmet when she felt a dull ache in her right side. She hissed in pain, reaching out to the dull ache and felt something wet on her fingers. It was blood. She looked carefully and saw a big stain on her dark suit. "So, he didn't miss me after all," she said to herself. "Forgive me, father if I happened to die in this battle. But it's up to me to stop all this madness."

And so, she launched.

**XXXXXX**

"They're attacking the White Fang guerillas," Duo reported, as they were approaching the battlefield.

"I guess they're tired of seeing the White Fang guerillas in outer space," said Trowa, glancing at the screen on his left. "Problem is, the OZ-Treize faction guerillas are a nuisance themselves, too."

Then another Gundam joined in their formation. "Hi, guys."

"Quatre! Where's Kylie?" asked Duo.

"Right in front of you," he answered. Duo looked forward and saw Kylie's blood red Taurus flying ahead. "What is she doing out here? Has she lost her mind or something?"

"You're about to see," said Quatre.

**XXXXXX**

Kylie opened the channel to the OZ-Treize faction guerillas and the White Fang guerillas. "I am Kyle Khushrenada, representing His Excellency Treize Khushrenada himself. Cease your fire and prepare to surrender to the new world order. The war is over."

From the OZ-Treize faction guerillas' mothership, Hagan and his admiral looked at the image before them, surprised. The admiral nodded, finally saw the truth. "So, that's why Treize trained him personally. He was his adopted daughter, Kylie," he whispered.

"He's a girl?" Hagan looked at him. "How did you know about that?"

"I've heard the story that Treize raised a little girl. It didn't occur to me that the young assassin who was with us is her."

"What should we do now? She's speaking on Treize's behalf alright."

The admiral was silent.

**XXXXXX**

As soon as she said that, the battle seemed to halt for a moment. "Well?" Duo wondered as they waited for anything to happen. They didn't have to wait long. The White Fang guerillas started to fire at her. But Kylie was expecting that and she sailed away from the line of fire.

A moment later, the OZ-Treize faction started to fire on the other guerillas and the Gundams as well. "Well, there's your answer, Duo," said Quatre and charged up his weapons and dived into the middle of the battlefield.

Kylie fired on all of them; including those who said that they were fighting for Treize, hearing them said, "Prove to us that you are speaking for Treize." And so, here she was, in the Taurus she upgraded herself. She had never been in a real mobile suit combat before but she knew her training would be sufficient enough to destroy her enemy.

Heero flew into the battle and started to destroy his enemy. At the same time, he kept his eyes out for his comrades. And with the Zero system active in his cockpit, it was easier for him to see everything through Wing Zero's eyes. As he watched out for his comrades, he also watched over the new pilot. Like she said earlier, she was good although he knew she had never been in a battlefield. Although her skills were not as fine as the Gundam pilots, Heero knew that he was looking at probably the most skillful pilot in OZ and the Alliance, excluding Zechs. He also knew that if she had been in battlefields more often, she could have improved her skills to match any Gundam pilots.

Duo yelled and howled, happily. As always, a good fight excited him more than watching girls. And now that this could be the final battle between them and the two raging guerillas, he intended to enjoy the battle before there's no other enemy left to fight against. Which was fine with him. Hilde had been asking what he would do once they achieved total peace. She asked if he's going back to school. At the prospect of sitting around and listening to dull lectures, Duo thought that he should go and find himself a job instead. And he was sure that with Quatre owning a resource satellite, he could easily find a job there. Ahh, life was looking good from here on.

Wu Fei meanwhile, fought as if he was giving death sentence to all his enemy. They had been a nuisance to the colonies and Earth long enough. It was time for them to be shut down permanently. And he knew that he was one of the people who were capable of doing that. But even so, as he glanced at their new ally, he hoped she will survive this battle because they still had an old score to settle. 'Thank you, Treize. For giving me the second chance of defeating you squarely.'

Trowa destroyed all his enemy easily. His Heavyarms was the perfect Gundam for long range attack because of its fire power. Even before he entered the heart of the battle, he could easily wipe out all his enemies who were blocking his way. And because his Gundam could easily buy him time, he had the opportunity to watch over all his teammates, especially Quatre and the new pilot. Both were battling in the heart of the battle, since the main target was Kylie. All Trowa could do was destroy some of them with his blasters so he could at least reduced the number of enemy that was battling the two.

When the enemy started to attack Kylie, Quatre quickly navigated his Sandrock into the heart of the battle. He knew that with all the enemy targeting Kylie, she would need assistance. And he also knew that she was inexperience when it came to real battle, having only trained through simulations and target practices. So he stayed near her, watching her back as well as his own. The guerillas, especially the White Fang, were determined to destroy her since she was Treize's ward. And Quatre, ever-believing that everybody deserved a second chance, determined to bring her out of the battle, alive. He knew although Kylie was the enemy of peace, there would be at least someone who would mourn for her passing if she were killed. And he could not do that to Amy. They had promised her no harm to come to Kylie.

Although she was sweating, Kylie never felt so cold. She knew that she was entering the stage of shock due to the blood loss. But she forced herself to remain conscious and helped the Gundams defeat this enemy of peace, which was now her enemy. And she knew that she had to keep on fighting to prove to some of the guerillas that she was indeed Treize's rightful messenger.

But one thing that troubled her was that her eyes kept on seeing double as she struggled to target her enemy. And her hold on the control stick was weakening…

"Enemy troops at 5 o'clock!" she heard Quatre warned her through the comm. She quickly snapped herself back into the land of the living and fired on, beautifully rolled away from their own line of fire. "Kylie, behind you!" But the warning came too late. Her Taurus shook as she was thrown forward. She cried in pain as the seat straps dug into her injured side. She saw stars in her eyes.

"Hold on!" she said hoarsely to herself, biting her lips. In the background, she heard a frantic voice.

"Kylie! Are you alright? Answer me."

"Yeah," she gasped. "I'm alright, Quatre." She then realized that he had taken out the one who shot her. "Thanks for the assist."

Quatre stayed by her. "Think you can continue?"

"I intend to," she said, the pain somehow jarred her awake. Then she started to charge her enemy with Sandrock staying close by her side. Both destroyed enemy after enemy, watching each other's backs in perfect harmony as if they'd fought together before. And not long after that, the enemy was reduced. Suddenly, they heard a transmission coming from one enemy's mobile suit.

"You are indeed speaking for His Excellency," said a man none of them recognized. "We'll fight by your side now." With that, half a dozen OZ-Treize faction mobile suit guerillas turned away from them and shot at their own comrade. As Quatre and Kylie looked on in surprise, they heard surprise shouts and curses from the ones who were being attacked. Each felt betrayed and the squad leaders ordered their pilots to shoot at the six renegade pilots.

Then a transmission from OZ-Treize faction guerillas mothership came through to her. "Admiral Garner and Colonel Hagan," she said, recognizing the man she talked to not long ago. "Are you prepared to surrender to the new world order now?" she asked.

Admiral Garner looked at her, calmly. "Kyle, or should I call you Kylie now. You know why I'm doing this," he said. Kylie nodded. "I know. You retaliated not because of Treize's unfulfilled ideals but because of your own ideal. You want power for yourself," she said, realizing the truth.

Garner nodded. "Smart girl. I knew you'd figured it out sooner or later."

"Yeah, but I know one thing that _you_ haven't figured out yet," she said. Garner looked at her, interested. "What is it, young lady?" Kylie glared at him, triumphantly. "You chose the wrong time to seek power, Garner. You should've waited until everyone was comfortable with the peace but you choose to entangle yourself with the still active Gundam pilots."

At that Garner glanced at the other video screen and saw the other Gundams all lined up with her, side by side. "What are you planning to do?" he asked, fear began to creep through him.

"What the Gundam pilots always do with their enemy," she said her face cold. "Destroy them." With that, all six mobile suits charged straight at the mothership. Each knew that in order to stop the battle was to destroy those who coordinate the battle. And the people who were doing so were standing in the bridge of the mothership.

Many of the guerillas mobile suits came at them, attempting to stop the pilots. But all were destroyed easily. The mothership started to fire at them, but the brave young pilots still continue to charge as if the shots that hit them were merely irritating bugs. And then, as they all reached the mothership, Heero raised his buster rifle, Trowa opened all doors of his missiles, Duo swung his scythe, Wu Fei thrust his trident, Quatre charged up his twin sickles and Kylie targeted the ship.

"This is for you, father," Kylie whispered.

Then as one, they gave everything they got. For a moment, everything stood still, and then the mothership blew into space dust. The surviving guerillas, including the White Fang, scattered all over the space after losing their leader. Losing their battle to the Gundams.

**XXXXXX**

Quatre heard Duo gave out a loud whoop as he smiled to himself. Heero and Wu Fei watched the remaining guerillas ran away like frightened ants. Some stayed on, surrendering themselves to the Gundams. Trowa looked at all his friends. "We did it!" Duo cried out. "We can finally have peace! I can start looking for a new job now." Never had Quatre heard someone sound so happy at the prospect of having to look for a new job. "Uh, Quatre."

"Yes, Duo?"

"Would you hire me?" asked Duo. "I don't want to look that far for a job."

Quatre found himself laughing. "I'll think about it, Duo. I still have to find out if you're qualified to do anything."

"Oh, bummer."

Trowa looked at them. "Come on, guys. Let's go home."

Quatre nodded, as the other pilots started to leave. Heero and Wu Fei herded the surrendering guerillas to the nearest colony, with help from Duo. Seeing Kylie's Taurus not moving, he flew next to her. "Come on, Kylie. It's over. You did it," he said, gently.

When she didn't answer, Quatre adjusted his transmission. "Do you hear me, Kylie?"

Still no answer.

"Something's wrong. Trowa!"

**XXXXXX**

Meanwhile, Kylie felt as if she was floating on an endless ocean. She felt nothing but peace, although, she could faintly heard a voice calling out her name. Then that voice turned frantic as he called out to his friend. "She's not moving," she heard him said. "She must be hurt or something."

"Let's tow her in," another voice said. "Maybe we'll find out what's wrong later."

"Hold on, Kylie. We're going to get you in," the voice said.

But she doesn't want to hold on. She was too tired. She just wanted to sleep.

And so she welcomed the darkness that beckoned to her.

**XXXXXX**

Quatre and Trowa both pulled Kylie's Taurus into the hangar. They saw the authorities shipping the guerillas out of the hangar and their three fellow Gundam pilots awaiting their arrival patiently. As soon as they landed, Heero ran towards them. "What happened?" he asked. Quatre ran towards the red Taurus as Trowa spoke to the three. "We don't know. She didn't answer our calls."

"Trowa!" They heard Quatre called out. They all ran towards him. He was kneeling in the cockpit. Heero climbed up and saw Quatre, holding the unconscious girl in his arms. He looked closer and saw the floor was pooled with some red substance. Blood? He looked at her and saw a large dark stain on her dark suit. 'I didn't miss,' he thought, surprised.

"She's still alive," said Quatre, breaking through his shock. "We need to get her to the hospital now." Heero quickly helped Quatre with her as they climbed down.

"Let's use my car," said a new voice. Heero was again surprised to find Relena there. But he didn't wait for any explanation. He took Kylie from Quatre and ran towards the awaiting car. Quatre climbed in with Relena as Heero took the driver's seat.

"We'll meet you there," said Trowa, waving them good bye.

**XXXXXX**

Kylie was in the operation room for nearly eight hours and in that time, Trowa had arrived with Wu Fei and Duo. And then Lady Une rushed in with Dorothy in tow. She looked really worried. They waited patiently as the doctor worked on the Kylie.

"Are they still in there?" asked a new voice. They turned to see Noin, Hilde and Sally. They then realized that Noin was scheduled to be released that day.

"Yeah," Duo answered as Hilde came over to him and gave him a hug.

"I'm glad it's over," she said, quietly.

Duo glanced at the operation room. "No. It's not over yet."

Sally walked over to Heero as Noin settled down next to Relena. "How are they doing?" she asked, nodding towards Relena and Quatre. Trowa was standing close by.

"She's worried and he feels guilty," Heero answered, quietly.

"And you?" asked Sally, pointedly. Heero looked up, surprised.

"You looked pale." Sally touched his arm. "And cold."

Heero brushed her hand away. "I'm fine. I was giving Kylie some blood. It appears that we both have the same blood type."

"Oh, I see," said Sally, knowing he was hiding something else. She could see there's a strange look on his face. Anxiety?

Finally, the door swung open and the surgeon stepped out. He looked at the people gathering around, saw Heero and nodded. "Thanks for the assist," he said, gratefully.

"No problem," said Heero.

Relena looked at the surgeon, her face hopeful. "Well?" she asked. The surgeon looked at her and then at the rest of them. His eyes didn't look promising. "Is any of you her immediate family?" he asked. Lady Une quickly stepped forward. "I'm Lady Une, her legal guardian."

The surgeon was surprised to hear who she was. "Oh, I didn't know," he faltered then recomposed himself. His face was all serious. "She's still in critical condition. She lost a lot of blood due to the gunshot wound."

"Gunshot wound?" said Lady Une, glancing at Heero. But the cold Gundam pilot didn't meet her eyes.

The surgeon cleared his throat. "But we managed to find the person with the same type just in time." As he said that, he glanced at Heero. Lady Une nodded, realizing what he had done. "As a precaution, we will place her in the Intensive Care to watch over her progress."

"The ICU?" asked Relena. "Is she going to be alright?"

He looked at her, gently. "We don't know yet. Her wound was pretty bad. She might survive or she might not. It's all up to her."

"Don't worry," said Trowa suddenly. "She's a tough girl, she'll pull through."

Lady Une nodded at his optimism, remembering how Kylie managed to survive in the streets when she was little. "Yes, she will pull through. She has to."

The surgeon nodded. "Alright. I suggest that you all should go and rest now. We don't need any of you reserving a place in the ICU for neglecting your own needs."

"Thank you, doctor," said Quatre.

"You're welcome, Quatre Winner," the surgeon said, winking. "Tell your sister Erea hi for me."

Then the group was quiet. Quatre buried his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have let her go into the battle," he said. "I should've known. It's all my fault."

"No, I shot her," said Heero. "I should've seen it."

Lady Une looked at them. "No, it's none of your fault."

"Why did she have to go into the battlefield, knowing that she's hurt and all?" asked Quatre, wondering her motives.

"Knowing Kylie, she would have gone there even if she has a broken leg," Lady Une answered. "Kylie loved being a soldier. Something about the war gave her an inner strength. Maybe it's the friendship or love that radiates from wars. Or the beautiful deaths of dying soldiers." She looked at them. "In reality, if Treize hadn't brought her in from the streets, she would've joined the army somehow. Kylie loved a good challenge. So it doesn't surprise me to see what she had put herself into a while ago."

"Hmm… she is a true soldier," said Heero. For a moment there was a complete silence. When Relena raised her head a few minutes later, Heero was gone.

Quickly, she rose to her feet and ran towards the exit, surprising the others. But he wasn't there. So, she walked over to the window, hoping she could at least catch a glimpse of him leaving but as usual, Heero was already gone. Disappeared again from her life.

'Heero!' she whispered. 'Am I going to see you again?' she wondered.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned. "Don't worry about Heero, Relena," said Quatre. "Your paths will cross again because no matter how far your destinies lead you apart, in the end, you two are fighting the same battle. Trust me."

"Where do you think he's going?" she asked.

"Where Wing Zero lead him, Relena."

**XXXXXX**

Two days after that, Relena and Quatre found themselves in Kylie's room. Her condition had stabilized but she was still unconscious, as if in a deep sleep.

"She look so still," Quatre remarked, placing a red rose in a vase. Relena noticed that either Quatre or Trowa would bring a red rose to her room. Her only regret was that Lady Une left before Kylie awakened. The older woman had said that she had no place in Kylie's life. Dorothy had been reluctant to leave, since there was some unfinished business with Quatre and Trowa. But still, her duty to Lady Une came first.

Quatre stared at Kylie's peaceful face. He finally saw the innocence of a child within her, the trait that she had been trying to hide. He was sure that if she had been happy, she could actually be one of the greatest people in the world, like Relena.

"She must have suffered a lot in her life. That would give her the strength to go on," Relena whispered. She too noticed the peaceful look. Quatre nodded and said another thing, "Or love Treize more than herself to give him this kind of loyalty."

They were quiet for a moment. "What would happen to her now?"

Relena shrugged. "Well, she would be tried for her crimes." She looked at him. "But I intend to convince the justice council to pardon her."

"Why?" asked Quatre, surprised.

Relena brushed a loose hair on Kylie's forehead. "She's a victim of this war as much as we all are. She deserved a second chance. She deserves a normal life."

"Just like we all do," said Quatre, remembering his own life.

**XXXXXX**

Amy finally convinced Morris and the others to let her see Kyle. Ever since they learned that Kyle Rayden was an assassin, they had been avoiding the subject, not wanting to talk about Kyle any more. At last, Amy told them that she wanted to see Kyle because she wanted to say good bye. And they all gave the permission.

Now here she was, standing before the door. Trowa, the circus boy, was there with her. He and his friends had been keeping watch continuously. "She's still unconscious," said Trowa gently. Amy startled, still trying to grasp at the new discovery that the Kyle she knew was actually a girl.

She entered and gasped. "You _are_ a girl!" she said, staring at the prone figure lying on the bed. And Kyle was not only just a girl, she's beautiful. Which explain why she could be mistaken as a gorgeous boy. Her soft feature made her seemed as if she was a boy of 13 years old. Only now Amy learned that Kyle was her age. This new development explained why Kyle didn't like to be smothered by girls. And it also explained her strange reaction towards the kiss. Kyle was not angry because of being taken advantage of, she was angry at having fooled people so convincingly. And embarrassed.

"Wait!" she said, turning to Trowa. "What about Kyle's headache? He, she, has been having it for a long time. Is something wrong with her?"

Trowa shook his head. "The doctor did a CAT scan on her to see if there's any internal bleeding. But they found none. I think the headaches are cause by lack of sleep."

True. Kyle probably went out every night to scout his targets.

"Go on, then," said Trowa gently. "Talk to her."

Amy nodded and slowly entered the room. She sat beside the bed and took her hand into hers. "Hi, Kyle. It's Amy. I hope you can hear me," she said and then waited for any sign from her. But there was none. So, she decided to continue. "I… uh… came by to see you. You really had us all fooled, you know. Who could have thought that a guy like you, who wrote all those beautiful songs, could be the one who strike terror to all world leaders?"

Then she felt her eyes watered as tears rolled down. "I'm sorry but I have a bad news, Kyle. The band and Morris decided to replace you with another bass player. They thought that it was inappropriate to have a killer in our group. I'm so sorry." She cried for a moment, wondering why bad things happened to someone who was always kind to her.

"But whatever you do or did, I'm proud of you, Kyle," she said, softly. "You might have showed to others that you're ruthless and cruel but to me you're the kindest and most loving person in the whole world. You showed us how love could melt even the coldest heart. And for that, I am grateful."

"So please, live. Teach us more about that love and the power of human heart. I know you're much stronger than this. Don't give up." She brushed Kylie's hair, lovingly. "I have to go, Kyle. I would certainly miss having you around. But wherever I go, I would keep the memory of us in my heart. And I know in a way, you will keep me in yours."

She then leaned over and kissed Kylie on her forehead. "I love you, Kyle Rayden Khushrenada. I'm forever in your debt."

And then, casting a long last look, she left.

**XXXXXX**

As soon as the darkness dissipated, Kylie found herself walking in the garden behind Treize's mansion. She was wearing the same dress she wore when she asked Treize to train her. The last dress she ever wore. The robins chirped on top of the trees as she sauntered gracefully towards the rose bush at the far end of the garden. For the first time in her life, she was humming.

"You certainly are cheerful today," a voice said. Kylie turned and smiled almost immediately.

"Why not?" she asked, plucked a red rose and slipped it on Treize's uniform. "The garden is so beautiful this year. I've never seen it being this beautiful ever."

Treize smiled. "Yes, you have. You were just ignoring it ever since you became a soldier. You never paid any attention to the garden after that, which was why I didn't have anyone to maintain the beauty of the garden like you have."

"I'm sorry about that," she said, lowering her eyes. "But I promise you that I would never abandon the garden again. Ever. I would stay here as always and nurture this garden and produce the most beautiful roses in the whole world," she said. Then winked at him. "Happy now?"

Treize took her hands in his. "Yes, I'm very happy here, Kylie," he said, gently. "But you can't stay." Hearing that, Kylie's smile vanished, replaced by a look of terrible pain. "B… but why? Don't you want me any more?" she whispered.

He brushed her dark red hair. "Always, Kylie. I've always wanted you by my side. But not today. It's not yet your time." Kylie shook her head. "No. It is my time. My fight is over and there's nothing for me to return to. All I want is here."

"My darling sweet Fire, you must live. There's so much more you can do for the world, for me. There are so many people who need that love you can give them. There's so much you can teach them and learn from them. You must go back."

"But… Mr. Treize, father."

"I'm so sorry that I didn't see how much you have grown," he said. Treize then touched her face, gently, savoring the softness of her cheeks and the beautiful shade of her winter blue eyes which always reminded him of someone. "Ohh… you're so beautiful, my Little Fire. I've always wondered who your mother was. Perhaps one day you will find out who your parents were and be reunited again."

Kylie felt a tear slid down her cheek. "You are my parent, father. You are my savior."

Treize brushed the tears away. "Live and love," he whispered and kissed her.

**XXXXXX**

Kylie opened her eyes slowly, only to discover that she was in a hospital room. The light from the artificial sun streamed through the window and bathe her with pure light. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if letting the light cleansed all her sins away. In that state of tranquility, Kylie remembered the garden she was in and Treize…

She opened her eyes. "Father," she whispered, feeling a tear in her eyes. She could still feel his kiss on her cheek as if it wasn't a dream but a vision. A vision of her future. And she could still remember what Treize told her in that vision. It was her final mission.

Live and love

That's it!

She then sat up, ignoring the excruciating pain in her side and pulled out every wires and IV that were attached to her body. She then swung her feet to the floor and stood. It took her a few minutes to steady herself on her weak limbs. She knew from the unsteady feeling of her body, she had been unconscious for some time, maybe six days?

As she gathered strength for her limbs to move, she assessed the room. It was just like any other hospital room. Clean and white. Nothing to indicate that people knew her being in the room. Especially nothing from the fans of Kyle Rayden, in which she was thankful. She wanted to leave the life under the spotlight.

On the small table by her bed, she saw a red rose and a blood stained letter. Treize's letter. She then picked up the single rose, surprised that there was not a single note attached to it and smelled it. She never felt any better. It had been a long time since she smelled a fresh red rose.

Then after regaining enough strength she began to walk, slowly at first, towards the door. She willed her shaky hands to support her body on the wall. When the door slid open, she exhaled. There was no one waiting in the hallway. She wasn't surprise when she woke up to find no one was waiting for her. After all, she was an assassin, the enemy of peace. But what surprise her was that there was no security guard placed outside her room. She knew that she was a criminal but why wasn't she treated as one?

She dismissed the thought and started walking down the hallway. Her left hand was holding her painful side as her right hand supported her on the wall. In a few occasions, she had to stop to take deep breaths to recover from the pain before resuming her search for the exit.

'Wait,' she remembered something. She looked at herself. She was wearing a light blue hospital gown and was bare footed. 'I can't go out looking like this. They would put me back to bed and sedate me.'

At that moment, the word sedative seemed like a good idea because the pain started to shot through her spine again. But she willed it away and continued to walk, eyes searching for a janitor room or the staff lounge, any place where she could find a suitable outfit.

Then, she saw it. A janitor room not too far her. So, she made her way eagerly but cautiously towards it, each steps brought in new strength to her. When she reached the room, she opened it and entered. The room was dark until she switched on the light. There, she found a dark sweater and blue jeans. She put them on, pleased how they fit her frame so well. She was about to leave when she suddenly saw something. To her surprise, it was another red rose.

'What's going on here?' she wondered. 'Could it be that those guys…?'

But she had no time to wonder. The nurse who was supposed to run a check on her would be entering her room any time soon. And when she did, she would discover that her patient was gone. And so, Kylie went to the door, then halted and reached for the rose. She smelled it and smiled as an idea began to from.

'Maybe I could pose as one of the visitors. The rose would make me look less suspicious.' Then, she exited the small room. She stood still for a while and took a deep breath. 'Alright, so you got new clothes. Now, let's see if you could do something with the way you walk,' she thought. 'You must try to walk straighter.'

And so, she continued to walk. Her left hand was still favoring her side and right hand supporting her weight on the wall. She tried to straighten her back a little to keep from bending. She walked slowly, pretending to take her time where else she was trying not to push her body too far.

After a long walk, Kylie finally found herself stepping out of the exit. She continued to walk, even slowly since she had no wall to support her and the rose was still in her hand. She didn't walk very far when she suddenly froze. Standing before her, as if waiting for her appearance were Heero and Wu Fei.

"You two!" was all she could manage.

Heero looked at her. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Kylie was surprised at the question and nodded. "Managing," she answered.

"Where do you think you're going? Your fight is over."

She shook her head. "No, it's never over. There are still hidden guerilla headquarters in outer space and on Earth. I know where they all are. I should've stopped them earlier but I didn't. So now, they are the burden I have to carry. Maybe when I'm finished I will return. Until then, I have no right to wear Treize's name."

For a moment there was silence. Then Heero walked up to her, took her hand and gave her a set of keys. Kylie stared at it before looking at him. "There's a truck parked behind that old building," he said, pointing at a building. "All you need are all there; money, identification documents, the works."

He looked at her. "Inside the compartment is an address of a hotel. The room key is in there. We thought that it would be the perfect place for you to recuperate. But you can leave at any time. It was all taken care of." He stared at her, carefully. "Think you could make it to the building?" he asked, feeling a little doubtful.

Kylie's hand went to the source of the pain. "I'll manage," she answered, staring back at him as if challenging him to challenge her. Then she extended her hand, awkwardly. "I… uh… rarely shook hands with people."

Heero took her hand, for he too rarely shook hands with anybody. The first time was with Zechs. "Thanks," she said, gratefully. "Thanks for all this."

"Don't thank me," said Heero. "This wasn't my idea."

Surprised, she turned to Wu Fei. The Chinese pilot was watching them in interest but seeing her looking at him, he shook his head. "No. This is not my work. I was only accompanying him." He gestured at Heero. Kylie looked back at Heero. "Actually, it was _his_ idea," said Heero, looking up.

Kylie looked up as well and saw Quatre, standing at the top of the stairs. He smiled at her, and she realized who had been leaving her the roses. Still looking at him, she nodded in appreciation.

From the stairs, she saw Quatre mouthed. "You're welcome." For a moment there, he saw Kylie's eyes softened, and then they suddenly hardened as she turned away from him. Startled, Quatre wondered what happened at that moment.

Kylie nodded at Heero and Wu Fei, her demeanor was cold. Then she continued to climb down the stairs. At the bottom of it, she stopped. Without turning, she addressed to Wu Fei. "Wu Fei, don't think this is over. We're not finished yet."

"I'm looking forward when that day come," was Wu Fei's reply. She continued to walk. She had no right to resume her challenge with Heero because they knew in their last duel, who won. So there was no point to continue the duel.

"One more thing," she said, and turned. "If any of you see Lady Une again, tell her that Mr. Treize had always kept her in his heart. He had always loved her." Heero nodded, promising to deliver the message. She then continued to walk towards the old building. Her proud steps hid the pain of her injured side pretty well.

As Heero watched her go, he addressed his question to Wu Fei, "Are you really going to fight her?" he asked. Wu Fei nodded. "Of course. She's a worthy opponent. She challenges my skills."

"You think you can win?"

Wu Fei frowned. "If you have asked me this question a few days ago, I would've said yes," he said. He watched as Kylie disappeared into the truck and drove away. "Now, she is stronger than before. So, time could only tell."

**XXXXXX**

Speeding away in the truck, Kylie glanced at the red rose and smiled to herself. Then she looked far ahead. "Don't worry, father. I will live to fight another day. Just like you trained me to do."

"Live and love," she whispered the new motto of her life.

**XXXXXX**

Quatre watched the truck disappeared into the horizon and he walked back towards Kylie's room. There were voices coming from it as he saw the nurse, the doctor and Relena argued about the disappearance of the patient. Trowa and Duo were observing them in amusement.

Relena then saw Quatre's smiling face and decided to reassure the doctor and the nurse, saying that the patient was well taken care off. After a little argument, the two left. Relena turned to the three. "You guys did this," she said sternly but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Quatre shrugged, not wanting to volunteer anything. So, Relena decided to give them the latest news. "I thought of talking to Kylie myself," she began. "But I managed to convince the justice council and the remaining families not to press charges. Kylie is free. There's even a family who is happy to take her in since she was the adopted daughter of Treize Khushrenada."

"Somehow I doubted she would want that," said Duo.

Trowa nodded. "She's too independent to be tied down. I think she's better off alone."

Relena sighed. "Yeah, that's why I wanted to talk to her. But I guess talking to her would be like talking to Heero Yuy." She turned to Quatre. "You saw her leave. How is she?"

"Truthfully, still in pain," Quatre admitted. "But like Trowa said, she's too independent. She'll get through everything." Then he noticed something on the table. "Hey, she forgot Treize's letter." He walked over to it and saw a note with another piece of paper neatly arranged on the table. She had put the rose on the note. It was addressed to him.

'Keep the letter. Some day, I will come back for it. Could you please give the other paper to Amy? She'll know what to do. And many thanks, Quatre. You can be trusted.'

Smiling gently, Quatre kept Treize's letter in his pocket, close to his heart. He then picked up the other piece of paper and the rose. He walked to the exit. "Hey, where are you heading?" asked Duo. Quatre looked back at the people in the room. "Doing something a friend entrusted me to do," he said and then walked away, nearly running.

**XXXXXX**

As soon as the owner of the Winner's resource satellite left, Amy unfolded the paper. She had been surprised when Quatre showed up in her doorsteps, delivering news that Kylie was up and well. He then handed her the paper, saying that it was for her. He would've given her the red rose but she refused, saying that if Kylie left it, it was most probably meant for him as a gesture of thank you. She also told him that it was proper that the rose was given to him because it's from a girl. She chuckled, seeing the embarrass look on his face which stayed on until he left.

Now, as she read the paper, Amy found a tear slid down. On the paper was the lyrics to Kyle's last song and a little note. 'It's still not finish. Could you write a line or two for me in the end?' She read through the lyrics, feeling the pain and beauty of it. And when she got to the last line, she suddenly know how the song ended. As if it was Kyle who dictated it to her. And so, she picked up a pen and finished the song.

**XXXXXX**

Heero Yuy watched from afar as Relena exited from the building, having succeeded in making world policies to maintain peace. The main action was to destroy all mobile suits and weapons. He watched as she was swarmed by the world leaders and the media as they asked her questions about the outcome of the meeting.

Though the conflict was over, Heero was still there, watching over Relena, protecting her in the shadows. Defeating any enemy from the guerillas that actually attempted to assassinate her. She didn't know about the attempts on her life or how many there were because Heero destroyed all of them before they could even get near her. Nobody knew about what he had been doing. Not even Noin since he had purposely stopped contacting her. The last he heard about Noin, she had joined the Preventer Intelligence with Sally Po and finding out possible threats to the world peace.

As for the other pilots, well, Quatre was helping out her sisters with the family business as usual. But Heero could sometimes see his path crossed Relena's since Quatre was supposed to be one of the most influential people in outer space and on Earth.

Duo tried working with the Winners before he decided it was dull and complained about having to dress properly. So, he left the resource satellite with Hilde who still stuck by his side. Current location, unknown. And Heero did not care enough to find out. But he knew Duo was nearby somewhere.

Of course, Trowa returned to the circus. And his traveling trait would sometime cross paths with Relena, Quatre, Duo and even Heero himself. Of all pilots, Trowa was the only one who usually saw Heero, protecting Relena from harm. And he would sometimes give assistance to Heero, whenever Catherine had her back on him.

Wu Fei disappeared as soon as they parted at the entrance of the hospital. Heero knew that he was meditating and preparing himself for the next duel he's going to have. Of all pilot, Heero saw less of him. But he doesn't mind. Soon, they will all see each other again for Quatre had just leave them word to meet him, concerning their Gundams. And Heero can't wait to hear what it was all about.

And from all over the world and space, Heero could always hear news from private resources about the attacks on the guerillas' headquarters which many of them were sent to the proper authorities, namely Preventer. Heero knew that there were guerillas attacks everywhere but the media never reported them because the attacks never got to the population. Because somewhere out there, a lone soldier was on a quest to protect the peace, traveling unrecognized, fulfilling her promise to the person she loved. Heero knew, it won't be long until he saw her again.

Then as Relena's chauffeur, Pagan drove the limo away from the hall, Heero started his own vehicle and drove off. He had just foiled another attempt on Relena's life. Now, he's out to foil another attempt so Relena could celebrate her 16th birthday which was just around the corner. Heero thought of giving her something but at the moment, he couldn't think of anything. Except that he must stop this coming threat on her life. As he drove on, he heard a well-known song in the background. The new hit song from The United.

_FADING TO BLACK_

_BY KYLE RAYDEN._

_Since the day I blinked into existence,_

_I know no love, know no comfort,_

_I know no happiness, know no warmth,_

_I know no company, know no light._

_Since I blinked into existence,_

_I know only hate, know only fear,_

_I know only sorrow, know only pain,_

_I know only loneliness, know only darkness._

_As I walk down the path of life,_

_I learn not love but hate,_

_I learn not comfort but fear,_

_I learn not happiness but sorrow,_

_I learn not warmth but pain,_

_I learn not company but only loneliness._

_But somewhere in my twisted path of life,_

_I found my only love, my only comfort,_

_My only happiness, my only warmth,_

_My only company and a tiny light in the darkness,_

_But only to have lost them all at once._

_Now, I know only revenge,_

_My heart and soul know only hatred,_

_And I became nothing but a soulless and heartless fighter,_

_An avenger of the darkness,_

_Fading to black._

_You are an angel of light,_

_A guardian of love_

_that touches many souls_

_If you ever found yourself in doubt,_

_Remember your love for others,_

_Remember my love for you,_

_and shine more than the brightest sun_

_spreading warmth all around._

_Never drown yourself in hatred,_

_in fear, in sorrow, in pain and in loneliness,_

_because your light and your warmth will guide others,_

_as it has guide me into the arms of the heavens._

_Let me shoulder all the burden of darkness in the world,_

_as it the only thing my tainted soul could do._

_As I fade to black_

_Fading into darkness_

_I saw a light of hope at the end of the tunnel_

_Will it be able to cleanse my tainted soul?_

And as Heero heard the song, he wondered about himself. Though it wasn't about him, he could easily relate himself to it. He wondered if someday he would be able to return love or was he forever cursed to be the person he was now, a loveless fighter. Could he someday live a normal life? Or would he continue to fight until he himself killed in battle?

Only time could tell.

**XXXXXX**

Somewhere in the moon of Jupiter, a lone soldier smiled as the song finished. She was glad that they played all her songs. She didn't care about the money made; just the satisfaction that her message was sent across was enough. Now, she knew how she could write such beautiful songs about peace. Somewhere inside her, there was a spirit of a little girl still playing in the garden, still able to smile in happiness for her new life.

'Don't worry, everyone,' she thought. 'I'll be alright. Someday, I'll return a better person.'

With that she charged her enemy that was coming at her. Peace to the Earth and peace to the colonies!

**THE END.**

**LOOK OUT FOR SERIES 2: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST**


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